Children's home run by Jasmine Gardens Private Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 1 Registered provider: Jasmine Gardens Private 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

This is a privately run home and provides care for up to four children who may have emotional and behavioural needs. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home, and four children had moved on from the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted is currently checking that this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment that is generally well maintained. The house is large and has a homely feel. Children like the space they have. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, promoting a sense of belonging. Children also benefit from a large garden, and one child enjoys using the punch bag located in the garden. This is a space where children can also relax.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the time to build trusting and positive relationships with children. This is something that is recognised by professionals as having a positive impact. One social worker felt that staff ‘never stop trying’ with their child. Staff demonstrate creativity and persistence in supporting children’s individualised needs. For example, one staff member was commended for using flashcards as an alternative communication method to help a child express their needs. Although this method of communication was not sustained long term, staff showed commitment in trying different methods to help the child share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of family relationships and actively support children to maintain safe and meaningful connections with people who are important to them. Staff have helped children to rebuild relationships, demonstrating a child-centred approach, which supports children’s identity needs. Family members have also been welcomed into the home where appropriate. This is child-focused and based around the individual needs of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s cultural needs are understood and supported. Staff demonstrate sensitivity and awareness by ensuring that meals reflect the children’s cultural backgrounds, and by supporting children to access hairdressers who can meet their specific needs. Children value this approach by the team. Leaders recognise the importance of diversity, and this is reflected within the staff team. This helps children to see themselves reflected in those who care for them. Cultural identity is also celebrated by planned events, such as themed evenings where the children share traditional food and take part in cultural quizzes. These activities contribute to an inclusive environment that promotes tolerance, respect and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in education. They work with relevant professionals to ensure that children have plans in place. Staff provide children who are not in education with opportunities to learn. Children’s views are actively sought and considered in education planning, promoting a sense of ownership and aspiration. One child shared their happiness at being accepted onto a course that aligns with their interests, demonstrating the positive impact of staff support and encouragement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence. They benefit from working through an independent skills booklet, which helps them learn essential life skills. Staff use this tool Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 4 to assess and track children’s individual progress. This helps children build confidence and prepare for adulthood at a pace that is appropriate for them.

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

Leaders and managers understand the risks associated with child criminal exploitation risks very well. They work with the relevant safeguarding agencies to ensure that children get the support they need. Staff use professional curiosity when exploring risks associated with exploitation and ensure that information is shared with relevant agencies to try and disrupt this risk and keep children safe.

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

When children go missing from home, staff are confident in following the missing-from- care protocol. Staff actively look for children in known areas, alert appropriate agencies and speak to children when they return home. Children do not consistently benefit from a return home interview with an external professional. The manager has not yet escalated this shortfall with the relevant authority. This could be a missed opportunity for the child to share their views about why they went missing.

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

Staff and leaders have a good understanding of child sexual exploitation risks. They have worked very well with external agencies to reduce risks for one child. The manager was swift in recognising the escalation of risk, demonstrating a good grasp of dynamic risk factors. Staff also show they understand contextual safeguarding and work with individuals in the community to help mitigate this risk further. This reflects a proactive approach to keeping children safe.

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

Children have been subject to physical intervention where necessary to ensure their safety. There is management oversight on each of the incidents and further overview from senior managers when the registered manager has been involved. This ensures that appropriate scrutiny is applied, which enhances safeguarding practices.

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

Children have openly smoked cannabis in the home. Staff have not always been proactive in managing this. Cannabis paraphernalia was observed in one child’s bedroom during the inspection and the child was observed to be smoking cannabis outside of the home. Staff have spoken to the child about these risks, but medical attention and support has not been considered. Staff have not yet found a way to help the child to stop this activity or in seeking help.

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

Ofsted has not been notified of two serious events, which has prevented the regulator from having independent oversight. In one instance, a child shared information with staff that was extremely sensitive, indicating that the child had experienced significant harm historically. Although this was reported to the social worker and support was offered to the child, the regulator was not informed. This limits external scrutiny, which impacts on the ability of the regulator to monitor safeguarding concerns effectively. Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager. There is currently no responsible individual appointed for the home. However, the provider has plans to rectify this. The manager is experienced and shows a commitment to the children he cares for. The manager has a strong focus on staff development and ensures that there are opportunities for staff to develop into new roles and responsibilities. This approach promotes professional growth and supports the retention of a stable staff team, which adds to consistency in the care provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report they feel well supported by managers and leaders. They feel they can share their views and these are respected, which contributes to a positive and open team culture. Staff report they receive regular supervision that is supportive. They also benefit from regular team meetings and team development days, which provide further opportunities to strengthen practice across the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders understand the challenges in the home and are seeking to make progress in those areas. For example, training has recently been delivered to staff around reporting and recording. Staff also have personal development plans, which have recently been introduced by the manager. This provides opportunities to evaluate staff performance and focus on areas of improvement where needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Stakeholder feedback for the home was very positive, and professionals felt children had been kept safe and had made progress from their individual starting points. The manager has very good relationships with external professionals and is good at sharing information relating to the children. This includes timely communication following incidents, as well as regular updates on children’s progress through monthly reports. These practices reflect robust management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite caring for two children since the last inspection, and where there is a known high risk of exploitation, staff have not yet received training in this area. This prevents staff from developing their knowledge and understanding of exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited regularly by an independent visitor. Regulation 44 reports are provided to Ofsted, but do not always include required consultations with children, families, or professionals. The visitor is not viewing children’s bedrooms during all visits. This prevents holistic and impartial oversight of the home being provided. Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should ensure that staff are confident and able to find ways to prevent children smoking cannabis in the home and to reduce their cannabis use.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have received appropriate training to support them in meeting the needs of the children they are caring for. This is specifically with regards to child criminal exploitation. 15 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that every child who goes missing should have has a return home interview completed by a person 15 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 7 external to the home. If this is not being completed, leaders and managers should escalate this to the relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 4(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that Ofsted is notified of all incidents required by the regulation. 15 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that reports provided by the independent person contain the views of children and others so that the quality of care can be triangulated. 15 September 2025

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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: 2711543 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Jasmine Gardens Private Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Primrose Cottage, High Wych Road, Sawbridgeworth CM21 0HH

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Inspector

Becky Thompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2711543 9 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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