Children's Home run by The Beeches UK limited in Peterborough

Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 1 SC466786

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Registered provider: The Beeches UK 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

The home is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 4 children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home. All 4 children were present and spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024 and has the required qualifications.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 07/07/2022 Full Good 02/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences and progress are inconsistent. Some children have made progress in parts of their lives; however, this is not yet sustained or shared across the home. Although children describe positive relationships with staff and the registered manager, there have been times when staff have not provided the help and care that children need. These shortfalls have reduced the quality of children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and another has moved in. These moves were planned and coordinated, and staff provided support to help children manage these changes. As a result, children feel valued when they move into the home and when they leave.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are sought, and these contribute to the care they receive. Staff gather children’s views through planned direct work and everyday conversations. When staff help children to learn from experiences, they try to make this engaging; however, this is not always effective because children do not always want to take part. Staff write to children to recognise their efforts and the progress they make. This helps children to feel that their views are important and supports their confidence.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. For some children, this has helped to improve these relationships because staff provide clear expectations and guidance. This support helps children to strengthen their wider networks, feel connected to their identity and manage any anxieties in a safe and structured way.

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improvement to be good

Children’s participation in education is promoted. Staff emphasise the importance of education and support children by helping them develop structure and providing encouragement and the resources they need. When children face barriers to engaging in education, staff put in place structured education and learning activities in the home. This support helps children to continue learning.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered a range of experiences and activities that reflect their individual interests. These opportunities support children’s curiosity and help them to explore new interests.

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improvement to be good

Professionals speak positively about the care children receive. Social workers report that children are beginning to trust staff because staff persevere and do not give up on them. This feedback reflects staff’s commitment, persistence and nurturing approach Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 4

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks that children face and take action to help keep them stay safe. However, there were shortfalls in safeguarding practice identified during this inspection, and these weaknesses reduce the overall effectiveness of the help and protection children receive.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently use their skills to de-escalate unwanted behaviours. As a result, some incidents have escalated unnecessarily and have led to avoidable physical interventions. On occasions, the police have been called to manage behaviour when other strategies could have been used. This increases the risk of criminalising children who are looked after and affects their emotional welfare.

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improvement to be good

When children experience times of crisis, staff do not always respond in an appropriate or therapeutic way. For example, on one occasion staff locked the sensory room door as a response to a child’s behaviour. Weak management oversight meant that this practice continued for some time before it was identified, which allowed an unhelpful culture to develop in the home. The manager and responsible individual have now taken steps to address this through additional staff training, and there are some early signs of improvement.

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improvement to be good

When children raise concerns, they are taken seriously, and managers and leaders act quickly to carry out thorough investigations. However, once investigations are completed, children are not consistently told the outcome, despite this being required by the home’s policy and procedure. This means that children are not always reassured that their concerns have been addressed or helped to understand what has happened as a result of speaking up.

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improvement to be good

Missing-from-home incidents are managed appropriately. Staff follow the missing-from-care procedures and make active efforts to locate children and support their safe return. When children are missing for longer periods, staff remain persistent in trying to find them. Managers and staff work with external professionals to identify strategies to reduce how often children go missing. Return home interviews are completed, and staff speak with children about the reasons they have been away.

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improvement to be good

Managers and leaders work well with external professionals when there are concerns about children’s safety and wellbeing. They have established positive relationships with local police and placing authorities to help address emerging risks.

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

Managerial oversight aimed at improving children’s experiences and mitigating concerns has not always been robust. This shortfall has contributed to poor experiences for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 5 The manager recognises improvements are needed to strengthen outcomes for all children. The manager is now supported by a deputy manager, and this additional leadership capacity is beginning to have a positive effect, although the full impact is not yet evident.

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

Notifications of significant incidents are not always made within the required timescales. Some notifications have been submitted very late because of weak oversight. This limits the regulator’s ability to maintain effective oversight of what happens in the home, particularly when incidents involve allegations about staff.

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

Staff describe a supportive culture in the home. They feel well supported by the manager, who is visible and approachable. Staff benefit from reflective supervision that allows them to consider their practice. This is helping to build a stable workforce and provides some consistency for children.

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

Multi-agency working is a strength. The manager maintains positive professional relationships with placing authorities, families and external professionals to support consistent and coordinated help for children. She advocates on behalf of children to ensure they receive the support they need. Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any punishment involving the consumption or deprivation of food or drink;

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on— a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends; a child’s communications with any persons listed in regulation 22(1) (contact and access to communications); or

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Requirement Due date

a child’s access to any internet-based or telephone helpline providing counselling for children;

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Requirement Due date

the use or withholding of medication, or medical or dental treatment;

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation;

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Requirement Due date

withholding any aids or equipment needed by a disabled child; 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 7 any measure involving a child imposing any measure against another child; or

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving punishing a group of children for the behaviour of an individual child. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to manage behaviours and de-escalate incidents effectively. This includes the police not being used inappropriately to manage children’s behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, doors to sensory rooms must not be locked as a means of managing children’s behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 8 help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must provide children with the outcome of a complaint or allegations they have made.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must have effective oversight of the home to improve the quality of care provided. 5 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 5 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 9 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must have a system in place so that all serious events are notified in line with the guidance, particularly when there are allegations about the manager or a member of staff.

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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: SC466786 10

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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: S B C H House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Robinson

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Inspector

Tonia Dubidat, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC466786 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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