Children's Home run by John-Edwards Care Homes Limited in Swindon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 1 SC437171 Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children with learning and physical disabilities. The home offers long-term care for some children and a short-break service for others.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home, and five children were receiving short breaks at different times.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2024 Full Good 15/01/2024 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/10/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector was able to spend time with the three children who were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, supported by staff who have a thorough understanding of their needs. Staff are creative in how they communicate with the children, using various tools and techniques to ensure that children can express their views and make choices. They are skilled at interpreting body language and non-verbal cues, helping children feel safe, comfortable and happy. The children appear relaxed and content, and staff have nurtured loving, trusting relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities in the home and in the wider community. These have included ice skating, bike riding and a holiday to Wales. Children are actively involved in choosing and planning these activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain strong relationships with the children’s schools. Children have good attendance and enjoy going to school. Staff communicate regularly with teachers to ensure that they have relevant information about each child’s health and well-being, supporting a positive school experience. When a school place was unavailable, staff collaborated with professionals to create and deliver a tailored timetable of activities based on the child’s needs and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are a priority for the home. All staff receive the necessary training to meet these needs. The home maintains effective communication with community paediatricians, who have noted that the care and support provided have made a real difference to the health of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a consistent standard of care for children who live in the home and those who visit for short breaks. By taking the time to get to know each child well, staff can deliver care that supports progress and offers parents peace of mind.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children who live in the home to spend regular and meaningful time with people who are important to them.

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

Children are safe and well cared for in this home. Care plans are thorough and help staff understand each child’s needs. Staff quickly identify risks and are familiar with the systems in place to manage and mitigate them. They know what to do if a child goes missing and are confident in using physical interventions if necessary. Staff practice emphasises de-escalation as a strategy, and as a result, physical intervention has not been required. Staff are skilled in this approach. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 4 When incidents do occur, the manager undertakes learning, and staff have made changes to improve children’s safety and well-being. Children are well supported after incidents. However, there is currently no system in place to track and monitor the reasons, frequency and nature of incidents. This limits the home’s ability to analyse and understand behaviours in more detail.

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

When concerns about staff practice have been raised, the response by managers have been appropriate. Children are taken seriously and believed. The registered manager seeks advice from partner agencies, including health and police services, to ensure children’s safety. However, the registered manager does not always share these concerns with Ofsted.

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

The manager generally follows safer recruitment processes. However, she does not always follow up the reason staff have left previous employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the quality of care in the home. She is experienced and leads a skilled team of staff, many of whom have worked in the home for several years. The manager fosters a culture of accountability, encouraging staff to take responsibility for updating plans and sharing information to build their skills and confidence. This is supported through regular, in-depth team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that safeguarding processes are regularly reviewed. Staff say that they enjoy working in the home and are knowledgeable, proactive and demonstrate affection for children. They value supervision as a space for reflection and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for the children. She is able to professionally challenge the network to ensure good outcomes. She ensures that moves in and out of the home are in the children’s best interests and are managed in a way that meets their needs. Professionals working with the home commend staff communication and commitment to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is clean and tidy, with children’s artwork and photos displayed on the walls. However, it is cluttered and lacks a homely feel. Children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their tastes. The garden has been renovated to be accessible and enjoyable, and it is a space that staff and children appreciate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 5 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 6

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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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should use monitoring of incidents that occur in the home to develop an in depth understanding of the children’s needs. 29 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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,

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that when recruiting staff they fully explore employment history, including reasons for leaving prior employment.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant parties if one of the situations specified in Regulation 40 occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home that the registered person considers to be serious (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets children’s needs. The registered manager should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: SC437171 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Suffolk Way, Sevenoaks TN13 1YL

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Inspector

Sally Shakespeare, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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