Children's home run by The Kennedy and Elliott Partnership LLP

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 1 Registered provider: Kennedy and Elliott Partnership LLP

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in February 2020 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. One child has left the home since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 3 December 2024. A new manager is in post, who has applied to register with Ofsted. The deputy manager, previously the acting manager, has assumed their substantive role.

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Information about this children’s home

On 24 February 2025, we carried out an assurance inspection to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. Serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children were identified. This led to children’s welfare not being consistently safeguarded and promoted. As a result, a compliance notice was issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the progress against the compliance notice issued under regulation 12. Steps have been taken to account for the progress being made. The compliance notice is judged to be met.

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This monitoring visit

The home has made tangible improvements to safeguarding practices since the assurance inspection. All children have undergone risk assessments to identify any actual or potential risks they may encounter. These are consistently updated in response to any significant events or incidents. However, they often lack sufficient Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 2 clarity about what actions must be taken, by whom, and when. This hinders managers’ ability to understand their effectiveness in reducing risks to children.

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This monitoring visit

The home communicates well with other professionals and makes appropriate safeguarding referrals in response to incidents of actual or perceived harm to children. This includes referrals for multi-agency strategy meetings to identify appropriate safety planning for children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the assurance inspection, safeguarding practices have improved due to training and better management oversight. Training has focused on staff’s understanding and response to risk. As a result, staff are better equipped to recognise and respond to emerging or escalating risks to children. Leaders and managers are not complacent; they understand that more work needs be done to ensure that a safeguarding culture is firmly embedded in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The response to children who are at risk of or who have been missing from home is effective. Guidance to staff has clarified the actions they must take when children go missing, and staff are proactive in attempting to contact children when they are missing. When children return, staff have thoughtful conversations with them to try to understand the reasons why they went missing and any risks they may have encountered while away. Family members and children’s professional networks are appropriately kept informed when children are missing and when they return.

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This monitoring visit

Learning from any incidents is now more fully embedded. Staff meetings consider and reflect on any incidents involving children, as well as any necessary changes to their care plans. Learning reviews overseen by senior managers following significant incidents identify aspects of care to children where improvements are required.

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This monitoring visit

Children say they feel safe and valued by staff. Children’s views are mostly actively sought and acted on. However, children’s views are not sufficiently captured in their risk assessments, which hinders their understanding of the plans designed to keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

Children are unclear about some aspects of their care plans, including for how long they will be living in the home. This hampers the home’s ability to plan effectively for children’s futures.

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This monitoring visit

Limited progress has been made in response to the recommendations identified at the full inspection; these have been restated. One requirement and a further recommendation have been raised and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 05/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 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 with 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the actions identified in risk assessments are specific and clearly outline the steps staff must take to keep children safe. Additionally, children’s views must be evident in the assessments. 15 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that consequences are restorative and supportive of the child, allowing them to understand the impact of their actions and choices on themselves and others. The consequences should be recorded and evaluated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 5  The registered person should have a workforce plan that details the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working in the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. The plan should detail the processes and timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training, such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications. The plan should be updated to include any new training

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Recommendations

and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and be used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager and deputy manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should seek to ensure that the local authority regularly consults the child and the home about the child’s relevant plans. If the child raises concerns about any of their plans, their implementation, or the process of review, staff should advocate for the child and seek to ensure that their concerns are addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.11)

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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: 2517054 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kennedy and Elliott Partnership LLP

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beckwith Barn Warren Estate, Lordship Road, Writtle, Essex CM1 3WT

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Inspector

Andy Whippey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2517054 7 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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