Children's home run by Budwood Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Budwood Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates the home. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social or emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the last inspection, 2 children were living in the home, and both have since moved on in a planned way. At this inspection, the 2 children who live in the home were both present and spoke with the inspector. Another child lived in the home for a very brief period between inspections.

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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: 17 December 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: 2645199 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2024 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 25/01/2023 Full Good 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in the home have positive experiences and make progress. The staff support them to enjoy regular trips out and to take part in activities that reflect their individual interests and needs. One child is supported in their enjoyment of purchasing vintage clothes via an online auction site. This supports the pride they have in their appearance and is helping them to develop budgeting and computer skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children well from the time that a move into the home is agreed. Welcome information, including photos of the home and staff, helps reduce children’s anxiety. When children leave the home, staff plan and communicate effectively with everyone involved. When endings occur sooner than expected, the manager identifies learning to inform future moves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure children’s educational needs are understood by others. They make referrals for specialist assessments when needed and champion children’s attendance through practical support and praise. One child received sensitive support to help them understand why a specialist college would better meet their needs and to reduce any stigma they felt.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff champion children’s health, ensuring routine appointments are facilitated. Children are encouraged to eat healthily. However, less healthy snacks being locked away limits children’s decision-making. Staff do not have strategies in place to reduce this restriction.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is proactive in recognising when specialist assessments are required. However, one child frequently expresses that they do not feel listened to, and they await assessments that are likely to take significant time to complete. The manager was able to share details of actions taken to address issues they raised. However, they had not provided the child with written or visual information to support the discussion or support the child’s recollection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a safe and welcoming environment. Communal areas are comfortable and homely, and children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities and interests. However, several locked spaces upstairs and the presence of an office environment detract from the homely feel.

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

Children identify trusted adults who they can speak with if they have any concerns. Staff build positive and trusting relationships with children, engaging them in relevant conversations to support their emotional development. Children’s behaviour is supported broadly in line with the home’s ethos. The managers are strengthening the statement of purpose to provide a more detailed and individualised description of the home’s approach. However, there are restrictions in the home that are not aligned to the needs Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

of the current children. Some restrictions lack the robust oversight and planning needed to ensure regular review and safe removal. For example, one child’s bedroom furniture remains secured to the walls, without clear guidance in plans on what needs to happen and how staff will support this.

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

There has been one incident of physical intervention since the last inspection. This was necessary and proportionate, with clear recording and effective managerial oversight that identified learning.

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

Safeguarding responsibilities are understood and acted on by staff and managers. The manager models positive engagement and negotiation with the children. Managers work well with wider partnerships to understand contextual safeguarding risks. However, one child’s supervision arrangements in the community do not adequately reduce known risks, as the child continues to access illegal substances, cigarettes and vapes and has been involved in shoplifting.

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

Procedures for children who go missing from the home are well established, and staff follow protocols that take account of contextual risks. Necessary referrals are made, including when a child is considered absent from the home. However, staff practice is not consistently therapeutic. One child requested to be collected when absent from a relative’s home, but this was declined by staff and the record did not detail the rationale.

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

The manager responds well to ensuring that complaints and errors in practice are fully investigated in line with procedures and with the support of human resources colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager models high ambition and aspirations to support children to achieve their potential. They communicate to staff the importance of relationships, demonstrate how to engage with children, and express their ambition for the success of children and home’s development success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff is timely and completed by the registered manager, with suitable arrangements in place for agency staff. Supervision records demonstrate reflective practice and identify actions to support staff development, including the use of performance improvement processes when concerns arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and enjoy working in the home. They recognise the positive team culture and the steps taken to ensure they have the training and skills to undertake their roles. The manager uses systems effectively to track staff training and qualifications, which ensures staff progress is in line with the expectations set out in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. However, they have not fully recognised the impact of inconsistencies in practice and recording. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 5 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reflective relationships across the provider group support learning, and already there is a proactive management response to the issues identified at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment reflects that of a family home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they have effective oversight and monitoring of all restrictions within the home, documenting the strategies to reduce or remove the restrictions for the individual child and sharing where progress is achieved. 1 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that strategies to support children are regularly reviewed to keep the child safe. The registered person should ensure that staff understand and apply all strategies consistently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the quality of recording is consistent, with appropriate detail and analysis to inform care and assure practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2645199 8 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2645199 9 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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