Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Ealing

Inspection report children's home: SC038780 1 SC038780 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 4 December 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC038780 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2024 Full Good 26/06/2023 Full Good 01/02/2023 Full Good 11/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC038780 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children living in this home receive an exceptional level of care that is rooted in stable and nurturing relationships. The staff team provide a consistent and secure base that allows children to thrive. Children, their family members and professionals speak with genuine warmth about their connections with individual staff members, highlighting that they feel seen, heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The managers commitment to children does not stop when they turn 18 and move out. Two children, who reached adulthood, experienced well-planned and managed moves into their new homes. The high level of care during this time has ensured that children moving into adulthood do not feel abandoned. They have continued to benefit from trusting relationships which has provided a vital safety net. For example, one ex-resident contacted staff on Christmas day after her plans had fallen through. Staff drove to her home, which was not local, to ensure she had a Christmas dinner to enjoy and was not alone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s education arrangements are well considered. The manager is a proactive advocate, ensuring that no child drifts when educational provisions become unsuitable. When one child’s educational pathway changed, the manager worked in partnership with the school to secure an alternative to ensure the child could continue to work towards their GCSE examinations and not lose the progress they had already made. Another child has finally been able to attend school wearing their school uniform after the manager found a bespoke solution which supported their sensory needs. This has supported their excellent attendance and helped them to feel like they fit in with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are encouraged to build and maintain meaningful friendships both inside and outside of school. Staff recognise how important these social connections are for a child’s confidence and sense of belonging. Friends are regularly invited back home. Birthdays and other special occasions are celebrated with great care, involving friends where the children wish to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment promotes a sense of belonging and responsibility. Damages to the home are quickly repaired and children are educated around the impact causing these damages can have. To support their sense of responsibility, one child has been supported to care for their own hamster. This has helped them to feel secure and learn how to look after something which is important to them. This promotes the value of showing care and empathy to others.

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

Children are kept safe through a strong safeguarding culture that is embedded throughout practice. Staff have a thorough understanding of each child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. They respond to these with sensitivity and consistency. Because staff Inspection report children's home: SC038780 4 know the children so well, they often spot when a child is struggling and provide effective support before an incident escalates.

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

The manager and staff are not afraid to work through uncomfortable situations. They allow children to make mistakes in a safe way, helping them to learn from their actions. When children have had particularly difficult moments that require physical intervention, these have been managed well. Following this, staff have time to reflect and evaluate if anything could be done differently to support the child better next time.

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

The manager has implemented changes to staffing levels to manage new risks. For example, when there were more incidents at night, staffing was increased and a staff member slept downstairs to support the night-wake staff member. This proactive change has led to a clear reduction in incidents, ensuring a calmer and safer environment.

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

Allegations made by children are generally managed well and dealt with quickly. In one instance, there was a delay in notifying Ofsted about an allegation because the manager initially treated it as a complaint. While this was a mistake, the manager has used this as an opportunity to learn and improve her practice. No harm to children was caused by this delay.

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

Staff prefer to use positive rewards to encourage children to make better choices. Consequences are only used when other methods have not worked. In one case, a financial consequence was given that lasted too long and was not effective. This consequence was later removed. While there is no written evidence of the manager’s reflection on this, she is aware that such long-term consequences do not benefit children or align with the overarching ethos of the high standard of care delivered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is exceptionally dedicated and driven. She has a deep understanding of every child’s needs and ensures this knowledge is at the heart of everything she does. She works closely with the children’s families and wider professional teams to make sure everyone is working together. Her commitment means that children feel seen, understood and are supported by a leader who truly cares about their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children. While she follows the care plans set by local authorities, she is not afraid to challenge them if she believes a child needs something different or more bespoke. This ensures that children receive the exact support they need, rather than a universal approach. As a result, children have access to better opportunities without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager keeps her knowledge up to date through research and shares this with her team. For example, she has worked with staff to help them understand the challenges of being a teenager today, such as the impact of the digital world and social influencers. This helps staff to be more empathetic and relevant in their support to children. Furthermore, staff use supervision as a safe space to reflect on their work, which helps them constantly consider how they can improve care for children. Inspection report children's home: SC038780 5 There are strong morale and stability within the staff team. Many staff members have worked at the home for a long time, and they support each other through challenging periods. Staff speak about how much they love working at the home and how supported they feel by the manager. This high level of staff satisfaction directly benefits the children, who receive consistent care from a happy and dedicated team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides strong oversight. She can show how her leadership has a direct and positive impact on the care children receive. However, this standard of work is not always reflected in her quality of care reports, which typically lack evaluation and do not showcase the excellent work happening here. Inspection report children's home: SC038780 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should improve the quality of the review of care (Regulation 45) reports by ensuring they move beyond a description of events. Reports should focus on the evaluation of data to identify patterns, trends, and the effectiveness of the care provided. This should be used to inform the homes development plan and improve outcomes for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. Consequences should be regularly reviewed to ensure their effectiveness. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that all concerns regarding the conduct of staff

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Recommendations

are correctly identified and responded to in accordance with safeguarding procedures. This specifically includes ensuring that matters meeting the threshold for an allegation are reported promptly to the Local Authority Designated Officer and to Ofsted without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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 children's home: SC038780 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Blue Mountain Homes Limited, 21 Mallard Way, Pride Park, Derby DE24 8GX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspectors

Kayleigh Spinks, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Theresa Kambani, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC038780 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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