Children's Home run by Ashford Children’s Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 1 Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in July 2021 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to six children with learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 12 November 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Good 12/06/2023 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious home with many areas for them to enjoy together or separately. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their personality and interests. This fosters a sense of self-expression and belonging. Since the last inspection, the sensory room has been improved to enhance the children’s experiences. However, several areas throughout the home require further updates to create a more welcoming and homely environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making educational progress. One child who had been out of school is now attending full time, while another has begun to transition into school gradually, supported by in-home tutoring. Coordinated transition plans between staff and school staff have supported children’s school attendance. As a result, children are now actively engaging in learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in line with their individual goals. One child who previously had a dependence on their phone is now regularly participating in a range of other activities and enjoying doing so. This has also led to improved social tolerance for the child, reflecting increased emotional growth as a direct result of staff support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. This is because they take time to understand the children’s needs and behaviours. Consequently, children receive support that contributes to their progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health and are supported to maintain healthy daily routines and a balanced diet. They consistently attend routine medical appointments with staff support. Notably, one child who previously exhibited a fixation on food has developed a much healthier relationship with eating, due to consistent support from staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought regularly and are valued. They are involved in decisions about their daily routines and choose the food that is cooked in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop independence through daily routines. With guidance from staff, both children take part in meal preparation and cooking, while one child also manages their laundry tasks. These experiences help build confidence, responsibility and essential life skills.

p.3

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. They regularly update their safeguarding knowledge through discussions in team meetings, reflective discussions and supervision sessions. Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 4 Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff are attuned to the children’s needs, so children can seek support freely from trusted adults. For example, staff know the signs and cues of what can cause changes in children’s behaviour. This helps children feel secure. However, behaviour support plans do not fully reflect current practice.

p.3

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

Staff provide tailored support to children to educate them and help them address any behaviours of concerns, in line with their level of understanding. However, documents are not written in a child-focused way and management oversight is not effective in highlighting the areas to improve staff development.

p.4

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

Staff receive relevant training to meet the individual needs of the children living in the home. Since the last inspection, senior leaders have commissioned additional training to further develop staff knowledge in meeting the children’s needs.

p.4

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort and follow approved methods to keep children and staff safe. When an incident occurs, it is well recorded. Following incidents, children and staff involved are spoken to, to check how they are feeling and help them understand what happened. This support helps children feel safe and learn how to manage their emotions better and reduces the chances of such incidents happening again.

p.4

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

The home has not yet established consistent safe recruitment practices. Key information from interviews is not routinely recorded, and there are gaps in the monitoring of identification and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) records to ensure they remain current. This poses a potential risk to safeguarding and does not demonstrate robust oversight of recruitment procedures.

p.4

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

Since the last inspection, a new responsible individual has been appointed. They are committed to improving practice in the home to ensure that children receive good-quality care.

p.4

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

The home is led by a registered manager who knows and understands the children’s needs. They speak positively about the children and the progress they are making. However, the registered manager has struggled to consistently communicate positively and effectively with other professionals. This led to complaints being raised about their practice. The responsible individual responded well to the complaints to maintain positive relationships with the professionals, and has been supporting the registered manager to address and improve practice in relation to the concerns raised.

p.4

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

Staff feel supported by the manager and responsible individual. Supervision takes place regularly. Leaders and managers have started to provide more supervision to staff to ensure that staff receive timely support. As a result, leaders and managers can identify staff needs early and actively promote professional growth. One staff member was recently supported to complete specialist training and is now a lead trainer, an achievement they are proud of. Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 5 Feedback from external professionals is mixed. One professional praised the staff’s commitment to children’s welfare, noting they are consistently supportive and attentive to the children’s needs. However, they also identified gaps in staff awareness regarding individual targets necessary to support one child’s ongoing progress. Similarly, a social worker acknowledged improvements in one child’s educational achievement and

p.4

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

behaviour but raised concerns about inconsistent communication from the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 6

p.5

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.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(h)) 20 September 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that identification and DBS documents are reviewed to continually ensure their validity, and that a record is kept of this. 20 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure prompt attention to areas of the home needing renovation, redecoration or repair, and provide a homely environment. 20 December 2025

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that behaviour management strategies reflect practice and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that steps are taken to develop effective working relationships and communication with external professionals and children’s parents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff consistently record information about how they have supported children and understand how this will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.7

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: 2636494 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashford Children’s Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31a Edgwood Road, Rednal, Birmingham B45 8SB

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shanelle Maxwell-Amayigha

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Emerson Lancheros Hernandez

p.8

Inspector

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2636494 9 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.8

Inspector

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 . 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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9