Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 1 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home was registered with Ofsted in January 2025 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke to the inspector and shared their views.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025. They are qualified and experienced.

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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: 8 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 3

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Summary of findings

Managers have reflected on the findings from the last full inspection and taken effective action to improve the quality of care that children receive. Children benefit from consistent care and support from staff who know them well. Staff use their knowledge and understanding to provide attuned care. This means that children feel well supported and incidents are rare. Staff build positive and trusting relationships with children, and children make good progress from their starting points. Managers have good oversight of the home and understand the areas of strength and for development well. Planned changes in the leadership of the home have been well managed and clearly communicated to children, staff and professionals. As a result, changes have been well received and have not impacted on the quality of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. Staff celebrate children's progress and share it with families and professionals. Professionals were unanimous in their praise of the care that children receive. One child's social worker said, 'I'm very impressed with them. I think they've changed [child's name]'s life.' The child living in the home is settled and happy. They gave the home '10 out of 10' and said there are no improvements that could be made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home. The move was in line with their wishes and plans and well supported by staff. Staff celebrated the child's time at the home with an activity the child selected, and a gift and card were given. Positive endings help to ensure that children feel valued and support them to look back fondly on their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained, and high-quality soft furnishings contribute to a nurturing feel. Staff put photos of the child on display and support the child to have a say in how they want their home to look. Staff take prompt action in response to requests. This promotes a strong sense of belonging. The child is now invested in the home and has picked out the colours for their walls and the design of their furniture. While the home is welcoming and spacious, the laundry room is routinely locked as hazardous chemicals are stored in there. Storing hazardous chemicals in this room limits the child's access.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers promote education well. A teacher reported good communication with staff who 'try their best' to support the child to achieve. As a result, attendance has improved, and the child is making good progress. Good support for education improves future opportunities and helps children to achieve positive outcomes and to reach their full potential. Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 4 Staff provide a range of activities that are tailored to the child's interests. The child enjoys go-karting on a regular basis, and their achievements and progress are recognised and celebrated. The child went on stage at the organisation's annual awards ceremony, where a director presented them with a trophy and shook their hand. Praise and recognition help to build confidence and self-belief.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand more about other cultures through sensitive discussions and experiences in the home. Staff are professionally curious and seize opportunities to expand on children's knowledge while maintaining a family feel. For example, a staff member shared a culturally significant home-cooked meal with a child and talked to them about the meaning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with people who are important to them. The child's parent said that they 'can't fault' the home and said that staff have really got to know their child. They reported that their child has 'grown so much since being there' and that they are kept up to date on their child's life. Maintaining positive relationships helps to ensure strong support networks for future life.

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

Staff have built positive relationships with the child and use their knowledge and understanding of the child to support them when they are upset. They recognise early signs that they are experiencing distress and intervene to support them. As a result, incidents have reduced over time and are now rare.

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

Plans provide staff with guidance on how to meet the child's needs. Some information has not always been kept up to date. Staff understand the steps they need to take, so the child has not been affected. However, it has potential to create confusion. Most plans are written to the child, and the child's views are captured. However, language is not always child friendly. The manager took action during the inspection to review and update these records. This is a recording issue that has not had an impact on practice.

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

Staff understand the steps they need to take if the child goes missing from the home. Children going missing was previously a high risk and has been well managed. There have been no incidents of children going missing since the last inspection. This demonstrates that practice is effective and that children have been kept safe.

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

Staff support the child to understand how to maintain their own health and wellbeing through regular discussions. Staff support the child to attend routine appointments and ensure that the child is involved in meetings about their health. Staff ensure that the child's voice guides professional decisions. This helps to ensure that the child builds understanding of how to manage their wellbeing for the future and receives support that is current to their needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has informed Ofsted that they are moving to manage another home for the organisation. The deputy manager has taken on the acting manager role and intends to apply to register. This change in leadership is ongoing. It is well planned and has included a clear period of working alongside each other to ensure a smooth transition. The registered manager retains oversight of the home while working a notice period, and staff, the child and professionals have been kept well informed about the changes. This has helped to ensure that the handover is smooth, and managers have retained good oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good understanding of the child, staff and the home. They are aspirational for the child and hold them at the centre of their decision-making. They foster positive relationships with external professionals and work alongside them well to ensure that the child's needs are understood and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems for monitoring the home are effective. The registered manager has improved how they record their assessment of the quality of care. This now includes children's feedback and uses the assessment to set clear actions that support the ongoing development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and say they feel well supported. Annual appraisals that review performance support staff development. Opportunities for reflection on practice support staff to develop their understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Children benefit from the support of staff, who are happy and content and understand how to deliver good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive range of training and say they find it helpful. However, not all staff have received specific training on a child's diagnosed need. This means opportunity has been missed to expand on staff understanding. Despite this, the child has continued to receive attuned care and make good progress. The manager reflected on this shortfall during the inspection and ensured that staff have the training scheduled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have taken effective action in response to requirements from the last inspection. As a result, all requirements made at the last inspection have been met. Three recommendations have been raised. Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child's needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 15, paragraph 3.10).  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. This should include ensuring that all staff receive training on children's identified needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 52, paragraph 10.5)  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, child-

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Recommendations

friendly language should be used in children's plans, and the manager should ensure that plans are kept up to date with current information. ('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: 2815815 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children's home details

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

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2815815 8 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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Inspector

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