Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 1 SC412953 Registered provider: Benjamin UK Ltd

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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 is a privately run children’s home which provides care and support for up to 4 children, who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home and were spoken with.

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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

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: SC412953 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/09/2023 Full Good 16/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 3

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Summary of findings

Children experience warm, nurturing care from staff, who know them well and are committed to helping them make progress. Staff use therapeutic approaches to meet children’s individual needs, promote positive relationships and work proactively with families and professionals to support children’s safety and wellbeing. Children enjoy a range of activities and are encouraged to share their views about their care and experiences. However, weaknesses in safeguarding records, risk assessments and management oversight reduce leaders’ ability to demonstrate that risks are consistently identified, monitored and reviewed. Consequently, opportunities to strengthen safeguarding practice, evaluate effectiveness and drive continuous improvement are not always fully realised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a warm, welcoming and nurturing home environment, where they are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities in the home and community. Staff regularly seek children’s views through meetings and day-to-day conversations, ensuring that children have opportunities to influence decisions about their care and the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and celebrate children’s achievements in ways that are meaningful to them, including through personalised reward systems and individual initiatives, such as a positivity box containing encouraging messages and achievements recorded by staff. Staff use restorative and therapeutic approaches that take account of children’s emotional and mental health needs rather than relying solely on sanctions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carefully consider the needs of children already living in the home, when assessing whether a new child can move in. They seek children’s views, take account of their preferences and support them before, during and after a new child arrives. Staff also take time to get to know children before they move into the home, helping them to understand what to expect and supporting them to settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home, staff work sensitively to support them through this significant change. In one case, where a child had to leave suddenly, staff made sustained efforts to maintain contact with the child and provided them with a memory book reflecting their time at the home. The child’s family said that this helped the child to retain positive memories of their experiences and relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak about children with high regard, humour and enjoyment in their achievements. When children struggle with their feelings, they are curious about their behaviours and work with them in a therapeutic way. They regularly meet and Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 4 coordinate with other professionals and specialists to better understand and support children’s safety and wellbeing, including for children with complex and changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not consistently have clear or updated plans to progress their independence. This means that the individual steps and skills children need to learn and how well they are supported to progress towards independence is unclear. The manager has identified the need for adapted targets for one child, but these are yet to be recorded or put into action.

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

Two allegations against staff were being investigated at the time of the inspection. When children raise concerns about staff, leaders and staff take prompt action to safeguard them and ensure that allegations are considered without delay. However, children are not consistently consulted about the outcomes of investigations, and their views and feelings following the process are not routinely sought or recorded. As a result, leaders are unable to evaluate whether children feel listened to, understood and reassured by the actions taken. This limits opportunities to strengthen children’s confidence in the home’s safeguarding arrangements and support them to develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the individual risks and vulnerabilities faced by children and respond appropriately, when concerns arise.

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

When children go missing from home, staff take prompt action to locate them, work closely with relevant agencies and welcome them back sensitively on their return. One family member spoke positively about the support provided by staff, when their child was missing. They highlighted staff’s commitment to maintaining relationships and promoting the child’s welfare.

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

Following incidents, staff complete regular child-focused key-work sessions that are tailored to children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. These sessions use age- appropriate and engaging tools, including quizzes, games and emotion cards, to help children explore their experiences, understand risks and develop strategies to keep themselves safe..

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

Staff complete holistic and risk specific assessments that identify children’s individual vulnerabilities and strengths. These assessments are reviewed regularly and discussed during staff handovers to support a consistent approach to managing risks. However, records are not always accurate, aligned or sufficiently detailed. Important information is missing, including clear guidance regarding the location of ligature cutters and staff expectations for carrying them. In addition, one child assessed as being at high risk of suicide did not have a risk assessment that clearly outlined the specific actions staff should take in response to known risks and suicide plans. Furthermore, there is no assessment of ligature risks within the home environment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 5 Staff are trained in the use of physical restraint. However, staff do not consistently record details of holds accurately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and leaders have developed positive, supportive relationships, which contributes to a stable and consistent workforce. When staffing pressures arise, leaders prioritise the use of staff, who know the children well and only use agency staff when necessary. Despite current staffing challenges associated with ongoing investigations, leaders have maintained a largely stable team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on children’s experiences, the impact of care provided, and their professional development. Leaders are described by staff as approachable and supportive, and staff say they feel able to raise concerns, seek guidance and contribute to discussions about children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders ensure that staff complete mandatory and specialist training relevant to the needs of the children they care for. Training is up to date for most staff, with arrangements in place for those who have been unable to attend due to annual leave. The manager discusses learning and development through team meetings and supervision. This ensures that staff are supported to develop the knowledge and skills required to meet children’s individual needs and provide safe and effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have established monitoring and review systems; however, these are not sufficiently effective in evaluating the quality of care provided to children. Oversight is largely focused on children’s needs rather than critically assessing staff practice, incidents and emerging patterns of concern. As a result, weaknesses in practice are not consistently identified, analysed or acted upon, and leaders cannot demonstrate how monitoring activities lead to improved outcomes for children. In addition, feedback from families, professionals, staff and independent visitors is not routinely used to inform service development. While the manager benefits from support from an experienced leadership team, they do not always feel able to influence quality assurance processes overseen by the responsible individual. Consequently, opportunities for challenge, reflection, learning and continuous improvement may be reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When serious incidents occur, staff liaise with children’s social workers and other safeguarding professionals to promote children’s safety and wellbeing. However, staff do not consistently notify Ofsted of significant events, and records do not always contain sufficient safeguarding information. Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons 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

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 7 use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 ((2)(b)(v)(vi) and (ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that children’s plans for independence are in place, tailored to reflect their needs and are reviewed regularly, providing challenge to the placing authority where necessary to prevent delay. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or 30 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 8 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); 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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii) and (e))

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d))

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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— that staff—

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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; 30 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 9 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) and (vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s individual risks are clearly identified, recorded, and reviewed within risk assessments. Risk assessments should be concise, up to date and provide staff with clear, practical guidance on the specific actions required to mitigate risks in different circumstances.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that ligature risks within the home environment are assessed, that the location of ligature cutters is clearly identified and understood by staff, and that reasonable physical adaptations to the home are made, where necessary, to reduce identified risks.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff have the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to use physical intervention safely and appropriately.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure that all incidents involving physical intervention are accurately recorded, clearly describe the intervention used and are subject to effective management oversight to evaluate practice, identify learning and safeguard children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are aware of how to make a complaint, and are provided with opportunities to access appropriate advocacy support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22-23, paragraphs 4.11, 4.13, 4.17) Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 10

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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: SC412953 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Coach House, White House Court, Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1FD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Rudman

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Inspector

Ruth Alexander, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC412953 12 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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