Children's home run by Gratia Cura Residential Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 1 Registered provider: Gratia Cura Residential 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 home provides care up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since February 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Two children have lived in the home since it registered with Ofsted in November 2024. Both children had short stays with unplanned endings. The children did not have the opportunity to develop positive relationships with staff. Overall, the standard of care they received did not support them to make sufficient progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences have been poor. The staff failed to protect them from harm as they did not provide safe and consistent care. Children’s experiences were poor from moving in until when their care ended abruptly shortly after.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff did not adequately understand the children’s needs. They did not consider the children’s previous experiences and the effect these have had on them. Staff did not read key plans from the placing authority that provide rich guidance on how to support the children. As a result, this led to the children being involved in serious incidents that placed them at significant risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children’s emotional health needs were not understood well enough by staff. Staff did not access appropriate therapeutic support from external agencies to ensure that the children were protected from harm. As a result, the children were not supported to build positive relationships with staff or to develop the skills to manage their own difficult feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff worked with one child to arrange outdoor activities that were of interest to them and supported them to start online education. However, the child did not make any sustained progress with their education.

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

Staff did not protect the children from risk of harm. While staff did assess the children’s complex needs, the plans staff subsequently developed did not provide clear guidance on how to reduce the risks.

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

Managers have not overseen allegations against staff well. They investigated one occasion when a member of staff responded to a child’s distress inappropriately. The manager did not feed back to the child what actions were taken. The manager did not identify any learning to support the development of staff practice, although this would have been both appropriate and positive for staff and children alike. The managers did not undertake any reparation between the staff and the child.

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

Staff do not have the skills to use physical intervention confidently or well, and have managed such incidents poorly. Children have not been supported to calm down when they have been upset. The staff were frightened of the children. For example, when one child was upset, staff left the child in the home alone as they were concerned that the Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 3 child would hurt them. This resulted in the child being left in a situation in which they were at risk and may also have posed a risk to others, when this was avoidable.

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

Staff did not help the children to understand their emotions. When children were upset, staff did not always speak to them to understand the underlying reasons for their distress. Children’s behaviours were inappropriately criminalised, as staff called the police to manage situations that they did not have the skills or the confidence to deal with.

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

Staff have not responded proactively when children have gone missing from the home. On one occasion, a child told the staff they were planning on leaving the home. Staff did not intervene effectively to prevent the child from leaving the home. Staff have not reflected and learned from when children have gone missing from the home. This increased the risk of children going missing from the home more often and being unable to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff have been unable to protect the children from harming themselves as they have not understood how to keep the children safe. The children’s plans were not updated with strategies that would reduce risks, therefore creating further distress in the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

From the abrupt and unplanned endings experienced by the two children, it is clear that the staff have not had, or been equipped with, the relevant skills to care for the children and keep them safe. The home’s previous manager said that they resigned because they felt pressured by more senior leaders within the organisation, to take on children with needs that were beyond the skills and experience of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are currently no staff to care for any children who may be placed in the home. The staff who were employed did not have the suitable skills and experience to meet the complex needs of the children. The staff regularly shared these concerns in their supervisions. The managers and leadership of the home and the wider organisation failed to act on these concerns and all staff have resigned from their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Training for staff has been poor. Managers did not train staff in the organisation’s model of care. This means that staff did not deliver care in line with the statement of purpose. Staff were not confident in delivering care following training, particularly with physical intervention. The staff did not undertake training specific to the needs of the children, including autism spectrum disorder and attention hyperactivity disorder.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not used monitoring systems effectively. They have not acted on the recommendations made by the independent person. The independent person raised concerns about the staff team’s ability to provide effective care to the children. Furthermore, the previous manager identified significant learning from a serious incident. However, the new manager and the responsible individual have not acted on that learning. Because of this, very similar errors were repeated when another child moved Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 4 in. The managers have not understood the strengths and weakness of the service in meeting the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Before children move into the home, the managers have not ensured that the staff have the skills to meet the children’s complex needs. They have not taken crucial information from key documents to understand the children’s needs and so enable staff to support them appropriately. This resulted in the children needing to move on at short notice without well-considered planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been significant delay in managers submitting notifications about serious incidents to Ofsted. There is no system in place to ensure that these notifications are submitted in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(e)) 30 May 2025

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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— 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 6 mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 7 understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 8 research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2798304 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gratia Cura Residential Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Park Road, Didcot OX11 8QW

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Inspector

Shaheda Dhandia, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2798304 11 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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