Children's Home run by Next Generation Care Essex Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 1 Registered provider: Next Generation Care Essex Limited

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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 the first inspection for this home. The home was registered in February 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for up to two children who may experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. At the time of inspection, there was one child living in the home. This child has lived in the home since 2022, prior to registration with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The 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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 2

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improvement to be good

There are several shortfalls in leadership and management of the home and in the help provided for, and protection of, children. Combined, these have the ability to undermine the safety and overall progress of children. Despite these shortfalls, the child currently living at the home has made progress. Risks have reduced and the child is being supported to move into semi-independent accommodation.

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improvement to be good

The child has lived at the home since before the home registered with Ofsted. The child contributed to the inspection by providing positive feedback. Since the home registered, no other children have moved in or out.

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improvement to be good

The child has experienced consistent care from a small team of staff that know them well. There has been no use of agency staff. The child has been able to form safe and trusting relationships with the staff. The child has experienced stability and continuity of care.

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improvement to be good

The child has made progress in relation to their education. They have been supported to engage in education in a way that works for them. A bespoke education package has enabled the child to work towards their exams with a realistic prospect of achieving good results.

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improvement to be good

The child is currently working towards moving into semi-independent accommodation. The staff and managers are supporting them to ensure that they leave the home with the skills needed to live independently. These include skills such as budgeting, cooking and learning how to stay safe in the community.

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improvement to be good

The home is full of laughter and smiles. The child was seen to spend most of their time in the communal areas with staff. The child has had the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of activities such as walks on the beach, trips to the zoo and holidays in the countryside.

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improvement to be good

There have been incidents of the child going missing from home. On two out of three of these, staff did not follow the procedure in relation to looking for the child. On one occasion, when the child telephoned the home in the middle of the night and asked to be picked up, they were told by another manager to take the bus home. When staff then went to pick the child up, they were not at the agreed location. The child returned home in the early hours of the morning. Managers failed to guide the staff into taking reasonable steps to ensure the immediate safety of the child. While the child did not come to harm, the advice of the manager left the child at risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 3 Staff use consequences that are not restorative or in line with the agreed behaviour management policy. This has not supported the child to understand the consequences of their actions.

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improvement to be good

The child’s risks have reduced. There has been a reduction in significant incidents in relation to specific risks, and incidents of children going missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have strongly advocated for a multi-agency approach to safeguarding. They have challenged professionals when joint working has not met their expectations.

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improvement to be good

When there has been concerns around specific risks, the staff have arranged external support, such as liaison with the local fire service. This support has reduced the current risks for this child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are several shortfalls in leadership and management. Some of these shortfalls are organisational shortfalls that the registered manager had raised with leaders prior to the inspection. At the time of the inspection, these had not been addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager works on shift, alongside the staff team. This reduces her capacity for management tasks. The manager said that the expectations of working these hours are unmanageable. This planned staffing structure is not working. The manager’s role has been directly impacted by working shifts, resulting in gaps in management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a lack of suitably qualified staff working at the home. Only one member of staff has the level 3 qualification, and staff have not had training that is specific to the needs of the child. In addition, three out of seven members of staff have not had an appraisal in over a year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has recently changed to an online system for staff rotas. They no longer have access to any rotas prior to April 2025. This is not in line with regulations for retention of records and does not allow for review of the staff on shift at any one time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The child’s relevant plans have not been kept up to date, and they contain conflicting information. This does not ensure that staff are clear in the expected boundaries or current safety plans for the child. These plans have different ratios of staffing for the child and differences regarding the child’s money allowances, and they are therefore misleading.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

On two occasions, staff did not follow the missing-from-care procedure when the child was missing from the home. This was not picked up by the manager, who reviewed the incident and concluded that the staff had followed the child’s care plan. This is a missed opportunity to improve staff practice and safeguard the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 4 The home is managed by a registered manager, who is ambitious and eager to continue to improve the quality of care offered to children. The manager is transparent in sharing information and open to learning. They have started to change some of the forms, including care plans and risk assessment templates to improve the quality of these documents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision sessions that are reflective and well planned. This helps the manager to be assured about the competency of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Professional feedback in relation to the manager is positive, citing good communication and a good understanding of the child’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(b)).

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Requirement Due date

staff keep children safe by following their relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

staff take adequate action to bring children who are missing back to the home. 10 June 2026

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 22 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 6 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 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)(c)(d)(h)).

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Requirement Due date

managers use monitoring and review processes to identify when there are concerns about staff practice;

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Requirement Due date

relevant plans for children are up to date and contain clear information; and

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Requirement Due date

there are adequate staff to provide the ratio of carers needed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)). 22 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (2)(c)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff rotas are kept securely at the home for the required time period. 22 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38).  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 7 interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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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: 2794236 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Next Generation Care Essex Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1, Newlands End, Basildon SS15 6DU

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Alexandra Seabrook-Rankin

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794236 9 regulates 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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