Children's home run by Aegis 24/7 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 1 Registered provider: Aegis 247 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties, and who may have drug and/or alcohol dependence. One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since 5 June 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

Date of last inspection: 25 September 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 3

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improvement to be good

There has been some instability at management level, with senior individuals in the home leaving their roles. This includes the manager, who gave immediate notice to end her registration a few days before this inspection. This has caused some instability for the child, who has experienced individuals leaving at short notice with no chance to say goodbye. The lack of planned endings has had an emotional impact on the child, who had positive relationships with these people.

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improvement to be good

The child is currently accessing education from tutors who visit the home. However, the allocated hours are not enough to meet the child’s educational needs in preparation for sitting GCSE exams. The child’s engagement is sporadic. However, staff actively encourage the child to participate with their learning. Staff provide additional learning opportunities outside of the child’s formal education, which the child enjoys and engages well with. This includes taking part in discussions on current affairs and practical activities like managing money in a supermarket setting.

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improvement to be good

Further improvement is required for the management team to engage with the wider system, particularly the child’s placing authority. The child does not have their most recent education plans on file, which may impact staff’s ability to support the child’s learning goals. Identification documents for the child have been requested; however, these have not been received. Managers have not escalated this request quickly enough, which means that the child does not have the ability to open a bank account, which is likely to have an impact on them developing independence skills.

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improvement to be good

The child expresses some concerning views about the world, which staff are aware of and address through planned discussions. These provide a safe space for staff to explore and challenge the child’s views, to help the child to develop a more positive and accepting perspective. Staff share their own knowledge and experiences to promote the child’s learning, which the child has benefited from.

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improvement to be good

The child finds it difficult to form meaningful relationships with others, which has hindered their social skills. However, staff have shown commitment to forming positive relationships with the child that are based on trust and respect, even when the child has initially been resistant. One member of staff said that the effort taken to build a relationship with the child is ‘one of my biggest successes’ and ‘gives him a lot of pride’.

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improvement to be good

Positive progress has been made in the child’s physical health, which had been recognised as an area for improvement in the child’s last health review. Staff have supported the child to engage in regular exercise and healthy eating. The child has shown increasing independence skills by shopping for and preparing healthy meals, with staff support as needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 4 Staff have supported the child to safely re-engage with extended family members and attend family events, which has had a positive impact on the child by increasing their sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

The home environment requires further improvement to provide the child with a safe and comfortable living space, particularly to the child’s bedroom and en suite bathroom, where there are signs of damage and mould. Leaders and managers are aware of the work that needs completing and will ensure that action is taken. However, on many occasions, the child has not allowed the maintenance persons to enter their bedroom to complete the work. This has led to delays and staff are working with the child to make progress with this.

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improvement to be good

Regular checks have not been completed on the home’s car in line with the home’s policy. This means that the manager could not be assured that the car is safe when staff are transporting the child. Leaders are aware of this shortfall in staff’s practice and have plans to address this.

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improvement to be good

Staff continue to lack confidence in their safeguarding roles and there have been inconsistent boundaries set for the child. In particular, a lack of communication between staff, managers and the child’s placing authority has led to the child having unauthorised contact with an individual on multiple occasions.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are in place for staff. However, the manager did not ensure that there was a DBS check for one person who regularly visits the home. This limits the information that managers hold about a person who is involved in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s risks and presenting behaviours and how to manage these in line with the child’s plan. Emerging risks are recognised swiftly and explored with the child. Leaders and managers ensure ongoing training for staff, which relates to the risks of the child, to provide staff with further knowledge and skills to manage risks. Staffing ratios for the child have reduced recently due to the positive progress the child has made with the support of staff. This has helped the child to feel more independent and trusted.

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

The sudden departure of the manager has led to staff feeling concerned for the future. Some staff said that they have felt unsupported and undermined by the previous managers, which has impacted their confidence to perform their role to the best of their abilities. Staff felt there is a significant lack of management presence in the home, which negatively impacts the staff team and the child. For some staff, supervisions have not been held in a timely manner in conjunction with the home’s policies and statement of purpose. This has prevented opportunities for staff to receive support and help with their development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 5 Records are consistently kept, which outline the child’s experiences daily. However, these records do not contain sufficient detail to demonstrate the actions staff are taking to support the child. Staff do not also update the child’s plans to enable them to have

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

The previous manager has not had effective oversight of the home, especially in relation to the child’s documents. Some records, such as the daily logs, have not had management oversight, which may lead to important parts of the child’s life being missed.

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

Staff report that they have good working relationships with each other and enjoy working together. One member of staff said, ‘Staff work closely and professionally with one another to make sure the young person receives the best possible support.’ This makes the child feel safe and comfortable in their home.

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

The leadership and management team is aware of the strengths and areas for development of the home and is dedicated to making improvements to better the child’s experiences. Leaders and managers have reflected on areas of concern and shared positive visions for the future of the home and have plans on how to improve.

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

The responsible individual has had a positive impact and has been praised by staff for the level of support that they have provided during challenging times. One member of staff described the responsible individual as ‘incredibly approachable’. Staff feel that the responsible individual listens to them to help staff develop professionally. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

staff have the confidence to make their own decisions in the interest of the child’s safety; 30 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 7 family time plans for the child are clear and unambiguous and that the child’s placing authority is included in any decisions regarding these plans;

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Requirement Due date

all staff, regardless of their roles and time spent in the home, have the appropriate background checks; and

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Requirement Due date

the conditions in the child’s bedroom and bathroom are addressed with urgency.

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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

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Requirement Due date

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’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—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 8 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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they act in a timely manner to request and obtain documents from the local authority. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that the child’s educational documents are provided and that concerns related to the child’s passport application are raised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff regularly review the child’s plans in line with the home’s policy and include sufficient detail in case recordings, particularly the daily logs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2706377 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 12 Store Street, Sheffield S2 4DA

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Inspector

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2706377 10 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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