Clare Lodge

Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 1 Clare Lodge Registered provider name: Peterborough City Council

p.1

Registered provider address: Clare Lodge Secure Children’s Home, 8 Lincoln Road, Glinton, Peterborough PE6 7AW

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this secure children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty.

p.1

Information about this secure children’s home

The home provides care for up to 16 girls aged between 10 and 17 who are placed by local authorities, under section 25 of the Children Act 1989. There were seven children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this secure children’s home

Admission of any child who is under 13 years old requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

p.1

Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services at this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England, under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities. Inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

p.1

Information about this secure children’s home

There has been no registered manager since February 2025. A manager was appointed in February 2025 and has submitted their application to be registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

Children’s education and learning requires improvement to be good Children’s health good How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 2 The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The secure children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.2

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.2

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/07/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/09/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Some children are making positive progress at this home. Children are developing their ability to recognise and vocalise their feelings, which has reduced the tendency to demonstrate frustration through behavioural incidents. For other children, important planned intervention work has been delayed. This has hindered their progress in addressing the vulnerabilities that led to their need for a secure setting. Children’s care plans do not always clearly reflect their specific needs, and therefore, staff are not consistently supporting children to achieve defined goals or keeping track of their progress.

p.4

improvement to be good

The manager has strengthened the approach to diversity and equality in order to develop an inclusive culture at the home. Through support from members of the local community, children have been encouraged to participate in debate around gender and religion. Staff have been supported to reflect on ethnicity in the workforce, so they better understand their role in challenging discrimination. However, at least one child’s identity and culture have not been explored with the curiosity required to ensure that the care provided matches their needs.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children contribute positively to the decor of the home and display their artwork and photos in their bedrooms and lounges. Some parts of the home, particularly one of the lounges, has been repaired but not redecorated, leaving it feeling less homely for the children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children feel welcomed when they move into the home. They are helped to form meaningful relationships with the staff early on. One parent said that their child, who recently moved in, appeared calm and settled and is benefiting from the care.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children said that they enjoy opportunities to spend time in the community as part of their agreed plan of reintegration. Community activities reflect children’s interests and help children to build on their social, budgeting and planning skills. One child has a keen interest in fitness and has taken part in a muddy obstacle event, which was a huge achievement for her.

p.4

improvement to be good

The children like and trust the manager. They value the time he takes to get to know them. Staff know the children well and speak fondly about them. Staff use their knowledge to guide children and encourage them to make positive choices that will influence their futures and current experiences.

p.4

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to education. Children are supported well to build trusting relationships with staff. The teachers and teaching Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 5 assistants model social behaviours and use consistent praise with the children. Consequently, children do the same with each other, often unprompted. Children also benefit from a calm and caring learning environment.

p.4

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

There is clearer leadership and accountability in education. Staff feel that they are working more cohesively as a team and communicating more effectively with each other and managers. Children benefit from settled timetables and learn from teaching staff who feel motivated and well valued. Staff understand there is still more to do and feel that they have the support to achieve what is required.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Children’s attendance in education has improved. Most children can see the benefit of attending their lessons. When incidents that affect attendance occur, children are more able to tell staff how they are feeling or what happened so that resolutions can be found. A few children remain unable to stay in lessons for the full session and are missing opportunities to learn. Despite this, during their time at the home, their attendance improves, with many stating they now enjoy learning.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Education staff conduct initial assessments for children when they arrive and quickly introduce them to the education team and learning environment. Children’s individual starting points are not used effectively to help staff develop learning plans that address gaps in children’s knowledge and interests. As a result, it is difficult to accurately assess the true extent of children’s progress and track the small improvements children make.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Education staff do not provide children with clear transition plans to support them to continue their education, training or opportunities for an apprenticeship when leaving the home. Children are not currently able to understand the progress they have made and do not have clear guidance to continue their learning.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Most teachers hold appropriate teaching qualification. Where staff are appointed without the necessary qualifications, they are mentored by colleagues. As funding is available, they are encouraged to gain formal qualifications.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Leaders ensure that staff complete their mandatory training in how to keep children safe and gain a better understanding of the impact of trauma. There are many staff who do not benefit from specialist subject and academic training to help them develop their training practice.

p.5

Children’s education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, teachers have improved the breadth and planning of the curriculum to engage children’s interest during lessons. They arrange enjoyable and engaging celebrations and community events for the children to continue their learning in a different way. This enables children to use the newly acquired skills they have developed. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 6

p.5

Children’s health: good

Children’s health improves because of the support and interventions that they receive. Health staff offer timely, thoughtful and comprehensive health interventions that reflect children’s needs and help them to manage their health.

p.6

Children’s health: good

Children access a wide range of services, including the dentist, optician and immunisations, to ensure that their health needs are assessed and managed effectively. Members of the health team provide personal, social and health education lessons with teaching staff. They provide self-care bags to enable children to look after themselves when they are feeling unwell.

p.6

Children’s health: good

Health promotion and nurture are provided through well-being boxes and period packs to support monthly cycles and one-to-one activities. A significant change means that health staff are now available in the evening and at weekends, and health interventions can be offered to children at convenient times. Time is taken to build relationships between health staff and children with sensitivity and thought to each child’s different needs.

p.6

Children’s health: good

There is clear and comprehensive oversight of medication management. Regular auditing is conducted jointly by care and health managers. The learning from the audits is then translated into training for staff. Health staff work with children to ensure that medication is right for each child. This ensures that children understand their medicine and how it helps them and that they have the right access to it to support their health needs.

p.6

Children’s health: good

Children benefit from a carefully planned trauma-informed formulation led by psychology within 10 days of their arrival at the home. This is with the intention of providing all staff with an understanding of each child’s life events, their current mental health strategies and their goals. However, these formulations are not being consistently used to inform care planning.

p.6

Children’s health: good

Children receive two communication passports identifying their needs. The passport ensures that when children meet new health practitioners, there is a clear understanding of how best to communicate with them and build relationships. One passport is provided by the education team and another by the health team. This work with children is duplicated, and opportunities for health and education staff to work together to support the child’s communication needs are not used.

p.6

improvement to be good

Children said that they feel safe and get on well with most of the staff. Children can identify a trusted member of staff to approach if they have any worries or concerns. Some children attribute their progress to the supportive relationships they have with their key workers. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 7 Single separation (when children are locked into an area for safety reasons) is used appropriately. On two occasions, incidents have been recorded as children choosing to be separated when this was enforced by staff to safeguard the child and others. While the separations were brief, appropriate and proportionate, the children’s views on the separations were not gathered. During the inspection, the manager undertook a review of these two incidents and identified learning that will be shared to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence.

p.6

improvement to be good

Managers take appropriate action to ensure that any safeguarding concerns or allegations are responded to in the best interests of the child. Managers have regular meetings with the local authority designated officer to discuss allegations and complaints about staff and any other safeguarding concerns. As a result, there is independent scrutiny of safeguarding practice, which contributes to children’s safety and demonstrates a culture of openness.

p.7

improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used as a last resort when de-escalation techniques have not been effective and to ensure the immediate safety of the child or others. Staff are resilient and calmly persist to resolve challenging situations. Managerial oversight and monitoring are effective, which helps to ensure that practice is appropriate and child centred.

p.7

improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy about any aspect of their care. They receive a written response from managers that includes information about how to escalate their concerns if they are unhappy with the outcome. The records of complaints do not consistently capture whether children are satisfied with the actions taken in response to the complaint. Some children have said that they are not satisfied with the responses they received, which generates the potential for children to lose confidence in the complaints process and not feel heard.

p.7

good

The new manager has introduced changes that have helped the home’s development. Staff say that they have confidence in the manager and feel hopeful and positive about the proposed changes and new ideas. While good progress has been made in a short space of time, there are still areas that need attention to ensure that the quality of care in the home improves.

p.7

good

There are new monitoring and auditing processes to identify issues and themes affecting children’s care. Although these are beneficial, the monitoring systems have not helped leaders identify some of the shortfalls discovered during this inspection. The ideas and systems introduced by the manager need more time to embed and demonstrate a meaningful impact for children.

p.7

good

Staff receive regular, high-quality supervision sessions that focus on their well-being and fundamental aspects of children’s care. Appraisals address meaningful practice- related issues and provide staff with clearly defined development goals. The manager Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 8 actively monitors and addresses practice concerns to provide greater stability and cohesion in the team. Staff have shared that this supportive approach has helped them feel optimistic about the future of the home.

p.7

good

The manager is developing the culture of the home. All staff, including facilities and administration staff, have participated in trauma-informed training so that children receive consistently sensitive and attuned care. Additionally, the manager has enhanced the home’s engagement with the local community, creating opportunities for children to have enjoyable educational experiences.

p.8

good

Staff recruitment files do not fully demonstrate that all elements of safer recruitment practice are adhered to. The managers do not explore, as far as reasonably practicable, candidates’ reasons for leaving previous positions with children and vulnerable adults. Additionally, managers do not consistently ensure that all recruitment agencies apply all elements of safer recruitment practice. There is no evidence to suggest that children have been placed at risk. However, the managerial oversight of recruitment checks needs to be improved to ensure the suitability of individuals caring for children.

p.8

good

Children are being looked after by familiar staff who understand their vulnerabilities and know how to meet their needs. Agency staff work at the home on a regular basis and form at least a quarter of the staff team on each shift. Many staff are currently undertaking the necessary qualification, but there are four who have not completed it within the required timescales. Given the composition of the team, this means that children are often being cared for by unqualified staff.

p.8

good

The manager ensures that all incidents are appropriately overseen, and follow-up actions are taken to keep children safe. The manager did not notify Ofsted about one serious incident that required police attendance. This limited Ofsted’s ability to monitor the management team’s response to this incident.

p.8

good

The manager is open and receptive to feedback from children, stakeholders and inspectors, which demonstrates a good basis for improvements to be made under the current leadership. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 9

p.8

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.

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.9

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;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.9

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iv)(c)(i)(ii))

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that all areas of the home are in a state of good repair and have decor befitting children’s needs;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that interventions are delivered in order to enable children’s progress;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that children receive care that meets their individual needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. 31 July 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 10 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.9

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.10

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;

p.10

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

p.10

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that auditing and monitoring are effective at identifying themes or shortfalls in safer recruitment to determine how improvements can be made at the home. 31 July 2025

p.10

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.10

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

p.10

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.10

Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iii))

p.10

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that care planning supports the specific outcomes for each child and that all staff are working cohesively to deliver care in alignment with the agreed plans and formulations. 31 July 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 11 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.10

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.11

Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

p.11

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.11

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

p.11

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.11

Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

p.11

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b))

p.11

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that if an employee has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, the reason why the employment or position ended is verified, as far as reasonably practicable. 31 July 2025

p.11

Recommendations

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)(e) occurs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. They should ensure that staff receive the training and support they need Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 12 to improve their subject and pedagogical knowledge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 27-28, paragraph 5.11)  The registered person should ensure that children have a clear plan to continue their education, training or employment once they leave the home. Measurements of progress should include qualitative information, such as how well the child is

p.11

Recommendations

being prepared for the next stage. Plans should include rewards and recognition of achievements, improvements in attendance and, when appropriate, reduction in behavioural incidents, including exclusion. The child’s personal circumstances, individual needs and educational history are relevant in considering what might constitute progress but should not limit aspirations for them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.2)  The registered person should ensure that records are made and kept of all uses of single separation in the home. Children should be offered the opportunity to read and add a comment to the record of their separation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 50-51, paragraph 9.65)  The registered person should ensure that children are supported to raise concerns or make complaints and that their views are actively sought and considered when

p.12

Recommendations

a response is provided. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 22-23, paragraph 4.13)

p.12

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 secure children’s home: SC033362 13

p.12

Secure children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Secure Children’s Home

p.13

Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Peterborough City Council

p.13

Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Peterborough PE2 8TY

p.13

Inspectors

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector (Lead) Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Hayley Lomas, His Majesty’s Inspector, Further Education and Skills Lesley Perry, Children’s Services Inspector, Care Quality Commission Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 14 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.

p.13

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.14

Inspectors

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

p.14

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.

p.14

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.14