Children's home run by The Bettermeant Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 1 Registered provider: The Bettermeant Group Limited

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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 owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who may require support with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home. Two children had lived in the home since the last inspection. Their experiences were taken into account during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a manager.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out to investigate information received by Ofsted which suggests there may have been a breach of regulation.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the home. A newly appointed responsible individual is overseeing the home in the absence of a registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

Areas of the home appear tired and show signs of wear, which detracts from the overall quality of the environment for children. The recently appointed responsible individual has recognised this and developed a clear plan to refurbish and improve the home.

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This monitoring visit

One incident of restraint has occurred since the last inspection. The use of restraint was not considered to be proportionate to the circumstances. Furthermore, there was insufficient management oversight to review the incident and evaluate the appropriateness of staff’s decision-making. The child was not offered the opportunity to discuss the event or express how the restraint made them feel. Staff have not consistently followed safeguarding policies and procedures when concerns about children have arisen. There were several instances where concerns Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 2 relating to staff practice were not reported or escalated promptly, with delays of several days before action was taken. This demonstrates a weakness in staff’s understanding and implementation of safeguarding procedures.

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This monitoring visit

When children raise concerns about staff, staff responses are not always appropriate. For one child, staff discouraged discussions about their experiences and did not provide a safe environment in which they could express their worries.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not record safeguarding concerns when children raise them. This results in an incomplete safeguarding record. This limits managers’ ability to maintain effective oversight and evaluate the appropriateness of staff responses and ensure all concerns are acted upon in accordance with safeguarding procedures.

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This monitoring visit

Internal investigations into staff practice have not fully explored additional concerns relating to delays in staff raising safeguarding concerns. This limits the effectiveness of investigations as they do not provide a holistic evaluation of all relevant information or identify opportunities for learning. The proposed responsible individual has recognised this shortfall and identified it as an area for further development.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not received supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. Supervision sessions do not consistently provide meaningful opportunities to explore safeguarding practice in sufficient detail, limiting reflection. As a result, staff are not supported to develop their safeguarding knowledge or reminded of their responsibility to respond to safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of the home is poor. Managers have not maintained effective oversight of information relating to children, resulting in a lack of scrutiny of staff practice. Consequently, there is insufficient assurance that managers were aware of, or responded appropriately to, safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

One safeguarding concern that was brought to the managers’ attention resulted in appropriate action being taken. This included oversight by the proposed responsible individual and referrals to relevant safeguarding agencies to ensure children were effectively safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

The proposed responsible individual has responded promptly to the identified shortfalls and has begun implementing the necessary improvements. They demonstrate an understanding of the home’s current challenges and a strong commitment to re-stabilising the service. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff provide children with space to talk about their worries and have the skills and knowledge to identify and escalate safeguarding concerns without delay. 6 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 5 The registered person should ensure that information relating to safeguarding is recorded in a way to evidence that appropriate actions have been taken when a child is at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider should ensure that investigations into safeguarding consider staff practice and take appropriate actions if there are concerns.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 6 October 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

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; 6 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 6 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; and

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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

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there is an experienced and skilled staff team to meet the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that information relating to children is accessible on children’s files and there is clear management oversight.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 6 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 7 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that any physical interventions are appropriate and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children are spoken to following incidents of restraint and that these are reviewed by management.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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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)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have supervision in line with the provider’s policy and that supervisions allow staff to reflect on safeguarding matters. 6 October 2026

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Recommendation

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 8

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Bettermeant Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: St Helens House, King Street, Derby DE1 3EE

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Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2839001 10 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 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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