Children's Home run by Arnfield Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 1 Registered provider: Arnfield Care 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 home is privately run and provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since May 2025. A new manager was appointed in June 2025. The manager is in the process of submitting her application to Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 20/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a home that is welcoming, warm, and decorated to a high standard. The atmosphere is child focused, with personal touches evident throughout. Photos and artwork proudly displayed reflect the value placed on children’s achievements and identity. Bedrooms are tailored to individual preferences, helping children to feel a strong sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about their experiences. All four children spoke to the inspector and consistently described feeling safe, happy, and well cared for. They have built trusting relationships with staff and report feeling well supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points. For example, one young person has been successfully supported to transition to semi-independent living and speaks positively about their readiness for this next step. Another child, who required significant dental intervention, has been effectively supported to engage with healthcare professionals and attend appointments, demonstrating the staff’s commitment to children’s health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All four children attend education through the provider’s independent school. Educational outcomes are positive, with each child making notable progress in line with their individual plans. Attendance is consistently high, and children are supported to value and enjoy their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been challenges since the last inspection. Three children left the home in close succession due to increased risk-taking behaviours and community influences that led to a rise in missing from home episodes. The provider took decisive action to safeguard the children, ending placements where necessary. Despite these challenges, staff ensured that placement endings were managed with care and sensitivity, allowing children to say goodbye in a positive manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In response to this, the provider has taken steps to strengthen placement matching and support for managers. A new role has been introduced within the organisation to assist with placement stability and oversight. This reflects a commitment to reflective practice and continuous improvement.

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

Children currently living in the home are settled and there are no safeguarding concerns at this time. The calm and consistent environment contributes to a reduction in incidents, and children benefit from routines and clear expectations that support their safety and emotional well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 4 When children go missing from home, staff follow the agreed protocol and are clear on the steps to take to ensure children’s safe return. While there have been no missing from home episodes since November 2024, learning from previous incidents has been used to improve practice. The leadership team has introduced new systems to address shortfalls in recording and oversight. However, records of previous missing from home episodes show limited evidence of return home interviews or professional curiosity about where children have been. Strengthening this aspect of practice would further enhance the

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

Risk assessments are reviewed regularly and provide clear guidance for staff in most areas. However, some known risks are not fully captured in individual risk assessments. For example, peer relationship difficulties for one child were not reflected in their plan, meaning staff lacked clear direction on how to manage this effectively. Leaders recognise this gap and are working to ensure all relevant risks are accurately documented.

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

Children are supported to share concerns, and there is a complaints process in place. However, records of complaints do not consistently demonstrate that outcomes are clearly communicated to children or that they are satisfied with the responses received. In one instance, the language used in the written response was not age-appropriate, making it difficult for the child to understand. The leadership team acknowledges this and is taking steps to ensure all communication with children is child-centred and meaningful.

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

While staff generally manage behaviour with sensitivity and care, responses during moments of high stress are not always consistent. Physical intervention records vary in quality and do not always contain sufficient detail or evidence of management oversight. In response, the new manager has implemented improved processes to strengthen incident recording and reflection, with the aim of ensuring that all interventions are necessary, proportionate, and well documented.

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

Safer recruitment practices are not robust. At present, the process is managed externally, and managers do not have immediate access to recruitment files. This limits their ability to fully assure themselves that all checks are completed thoroughly. Leaders are aware of this and are working to improve oversight and ensure robust safer recruitment systems are in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management have significantly improved following a period of instability. The registered manager stepped down after a period of formal performance monitoring. This change was well managed by the provider and the deputy manager has since been successfully appointed as the new manager. This internal progression has brought continuity and stability to the team. The new manager, with the support of the wider leadership team, has already begun to make positive and meaningful changes in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 5 There is a clear and focused plan in place to address shortfalls, particularly in the quality and consistency of children’s records. Leaders and managers demonstrate a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development, and they are taking effective action to drive improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff know the children extremely well. Observations confirm that the care provided is warm, responsive, and clearly centred around the individual needs of the children. Children are at the heart of practice, and this is embedded in the culture and approach of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and valued. They speak passionately about the children they care for and take pride in the progress children make. Staff describe a positive team culture and express enthusiasm for their roles. Their strong commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children is evident in their day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff work effectively with external professionals. Communication is timely, collaborative, and child focused. Feedback from professionals is overwhelmingly positive. One social worker commented, ‘It is such a nurturing place for [child] to be. I cannot believe the difference in [child]. They really provide genuine nurturing care’. This reflects the high level of trust and confidence placed in the team by partner agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, team meetings, and reflective handovers. These forums provide both support and appropriate challenge, contributing to a culture of continuous professional development. Leaders are mindful of the emotional demands of the role and respond proactively to staff’s well-being. Staff have access to clinical input from a therapeutic lead practitioner, who supports them with reflective practice and offers direct work guidance with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring there is adequate oversight of the home to ensure it is meeting the needs of each child, and that there are clear systems in place to monitor and review the quality of care the home is providing. This includes ensuring that incident reports are completed to a good standard and there are no gaps in information. 7 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children feel listened to when making complaints and that the responses to complaints are shared with the child in a timely manner, using child-friendly language. This also relates to ensuring that children’s views are 7 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 7 sought following incidents to better understand how they are feeling and their perspective on the incident.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers have access to the safer recruitment system in order to assure themselves that safer recruitment processes are being followed. 7 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62,

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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: 2651753 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Generate Business Hub, 13 Bernard Street, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 7AA

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 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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