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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 1 Registered provider: The Beeches UK limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager left in September 2025. A new manager applied to register with Ofsted but withdrew their application in August 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

There was one child living at the home during this inspection. The child appears comfortable at the home and has positive relationships with staff members.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers are not always sufficiently curious. Following incidents, the management oversight does not review staff actions. Consequently, any effective staff practice or areas of development are not identified. This means that managers do not ensure that learning that may help reduce incidents or manage them in more consistent and helpful ways is not shared with staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not always follow children’s risk management and care plans. The child was able to leave the home, unbeknown to staff, as staff were not maintaining the observation levels required as stated in the child’s plans. The child was reported missing when staff identified the child was not in the home. However, the incident report completed by staff was not accurate and contained an important discrepancy. An investigation was completed following concerns about the discrepancy being identified by the local authority. The investigation found that the child was missing unbeknown to staff for over double the time initially reported by staff. The manager has not spoken to the staff involved in this incident before they have worked with children again. This means managers have not taken appropriate actions to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers do not always explore concerns thoroughly. During a debrief following an incident, a staff member raised a concern about their colleague providing insufficient support to help them manage the incident well enough. This comment has not been explored further. This means a staff member is continuing to work with children when there is a potential practice concern.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not support the child to develop strategies to manage their own strong emotions and behaviour. When key-work sessions take place, these are mostly reactive discussions following incidents. Conversations with the child in a proactive way to support them to develop new strategies and techniques do not happen. This means the child is not being supported to identify their own strategies that they think could help. This also limits staff being able to be aware of the child’s wishes and thoughts about how staff could help them.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not always anticipate situations. In one incident, when a child was causing damage using an item, staff did not remove other relevant items that were nearby. The child subsequently used a different item to attempt to cause further damage. This lack of awareness from staff to reduce possible risks has the potential to place staff, children and property at risk. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 3 There is no recorded assessment of how the provider felt the child’s needs could be managed prior to the child moving in. There is no impact assessment that considers the needs of the child and the skills, experience and training of staff to meet the child’s needs. This has the potential to mean that the child may not be supported by staff who have the skills and experience to care for them in the ways they require.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all staff have completed training to meet the specific and complex needs of the child. The child has some diagnoses that were known before they moved to the home. Managers have not ensured that all staff have completed the relevant training to understand the child’s conditions and how to support them. This means the child is being supported without staff having awareness of how best to care for them.

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Findings from the inspection

Consequences are sometimes used to respond to negative behaviours. Managers do not review these consequences to ensure that they are effective. One consequence does not detail how long it was in place for. This could mean consequences are being used again when they may not be effective.

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Findings from the inspection

The latest report of the quality of care review contained limited feedback and evaluation. There was a lack of learning from since the last review to identify areas of development. This shows that reviewing and learning to develop the home are not always prioritised.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a new manager who has recently joined the company. They have yet to submit an application to register. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 5

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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 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;

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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

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; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that leaders and managers’ oversight following incidents is curious and effective; that leaders and managers implement systems to regularly assess and monitor the care provided to children; that areas for development are identified and shared with the staff; and that all staff are trained in areas relevant to the children. 18 October 2026

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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. 18 October 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 6 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

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure staff follow children’s care plans and risk assessments and ensure that incidents are recorded in detail.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 13 November Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 7 In particular, ensure that staff talk to children about their behaviours and support them to develop different strategies to use.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(c) (5)) 22 January 2027

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of consequences used state how long they were in place for and are evaluated to ensure that they were effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 8

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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: SBCH House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2827491 9 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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