Children's home run by The Beeches UK limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 1 Registered provider: The Beeches UK Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for 2 children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. The child was spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 4 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: 2783992 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child living in the home at the time of inspection. The child living in the home has experienced significant past trauma and been subject to multiple placement breakdowns in previous placements. The staff at this home have shown commitment and resilience in stabilising the child’s wellbeing in relation to significant attachment concerns. This has resulted in the child starting to feel more secure and investing in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting the child to build positive relationships, and the child likes the staff who care for them. The child seeks them out and enjoys spending time with them. The diverse characteristics of the staff team mean that the child can have varying relationships and make positive attachments based on different interests and backgrounds. Staff’s focus on relationship security means that they have frequent and meaningful discussions with the child. Discussions are tailored to concerns, development and life skills, as well as being ad hoc and reactive when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child had not had a stable or consistent experience in education before moving to the home. There are concerns about undiagnosed learning needs and the impact of past experiences in relation to the child’s learning. The staff are working collaboratively with the child’s specialist provision. A plan to support the child to develop relational skills in a learning environment is the priority. The academic aspect of learning is being carefully explored, with the child’s interests being used to ignite their enthusiasm for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s interests and hobbies are supported and celebrated in the home. They have a passion for 3D printing and a building separate from the home has been allocated as a space for this. The child has been supported to make and sell items using the printer. This has made them happy and enthusiastic about developing their skills further. There is evidence throughout the home of different activities the child likes to engage in or is encouraged to try.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have made a significant effort to build meaningful relationships with the child’s family. This is important to the child, and they are supported to see their family, who live a considerable distance from the home. Staff have a flexible approach to family time and regularly adapt plans to ensure positive time is not affected by being strict with timings. The child’s mother feels supported and included in the child’s care. This is allowing opportunities for her to develop a new and safer relationship with her child.

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

There have been several incidents in the home when the child has struggled to process emotions and feelings. Due to the severity of some incidents, the police have been called for assistance. Staff are not seeking to criminalise the child. Instead, the manager and staff are working closely with specialist youth services to support the child. Targeted Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 4 work focuses on the child’s past experiences. A restorative approach is favoured, and the child is engaging with the interventions.

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

The staff have developed an understanding of the child’s behaviours when they become overwhelmed and are unable to manage this safely. They know the child’s triggers and have developed strategies of support in times of crisis. The severity and frequency of incidents have reduced since the child moved in. The child’s behaviour support plans do not accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of the team and require review. The child is encouraged and supported to be involved in discussions about strategies to help them manage their emotions.

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

Staff have used physical restraint several times when supporting the child. Restraint has been the last resort when managing dangerous incidents and staff prioritise de- escalation and relationship-based techniques before considering physical interventions. Incidents of restraint are recorded in detail. The child and staff are consistently offered a chance to discuss and reflect on incidents. Although the manager offers oversight of incidents of restraint, this lacks assessment to identify if practice has been safe and in line with training models.

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

There have been very few incidents of the child going missing, despite them being prone to highly impulsive behaviour. Staff were able to say what they should do if the child goes missing. However, there is no clear protocol to outline the expected steps and actions. This has not impacted on the safety of the child but new and covering staff do not have access to clear guidance.

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

The child has made allegations against staff working in the home. These incidents have been managed in line with policies and involved the necessary professionals for guidance and decision-making. Each allegation is managed individually, and there is supportive exploration with the child when allegations have been found to be false or malicious. There is a lack of recorded response or discussion with the child at the point investigations into allegations are concluded.

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

There has been one incident that involved the child taking the home’s vehicle without permission and driving it up the road. This was not a previously known concern, and staff were unaware of this as a potential risk. Although the child returned unharmed and only drove a very short distance, the potential risk to the child and the public was taken seriously by leaders and managers. The investigation and lessons learned process has been an effective way of identifying how future incidents can be avoided.

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

The manager is committed and dedicated to children making progress and nurtures an ethos of resilience and consistency in her team. She is dual registered with Ofsted and oversees another of the provider’s homes nearby. The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She is well supported by senior leaders and welcomes their intervention and improvement work. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 5 Staff receive the expected mandatory training. However, there is a lack of emphasis on training in line with the child’s needs. The home’s workforce development plan does not reflect that this is explored, so that staff have the skills to work with children with a trauma background. In one case, a staff member’s restraint training was several months out of date.

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

Staff are supported to meet regularly as a group and there is a positive culture whereby they feel able to share concerns. There have been repeated discussions in team meetings of staff feeling under-valued by the wider organisation. These concerns have not been considered or responded to in a timely manner.

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

Staff receive one-to-one time to discuss their wellbeing and development. Staff generally report that these sessions are effective and supportive. One staff member new to a leadership role requires additional supervision sessions and this has not been identified. The manager made plans for this to be addressed during the inspection. Staff said that the manager is supportive, approachable and open.

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

External professionals said that the staff are providing good care. They feel there are positive and collaborative working relationships in place. They said that communication is positive and when shortfalls are identified, this is acknowledged and improvements are made.

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

The manager is a strong advocate for children. When she feels that children require further specialist intervention and assessment, she escalates and challenges services on the child’s behalf. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 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 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff welfare being considered and managed and that staff concerns are acted on or responded to in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that staff receive the required training and refresher courses to ensure they can practise safely when supporting children, and that training that focuses on children’s specific needs is prioritised. 4 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by the staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of the staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s plans contain the necessary information that outlines the specific risks and what steps staff must take to manage that risk. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny. In particular, the manager’s review should be thorough

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Recommendations

enough to review staff’s practice and identify further learning if this is needed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.59)

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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: 2783992 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Beeches UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: SBCH House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Robinson

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2783992 9 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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