Children's Home run by McRae Residential Care Services Limited in Croydon

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 1 SC025813 Registered provider: McRae Residential Care Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned home provides care for up to eight children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007.

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Information about this children's home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this visit.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 20 and 21 May and 24 June 2025. As a result, three compliance notices were issued. These were under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 32, fitness of workers. This monitoring visit was carried out to review the provider’s progress against the requirements set out in these compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has met the compliance notice under regulation 12. However, the compliance notices issued under regulation 13 and 32 have been reinstated.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have now ensured that there is suitable risk planning in place to keep children safe. Children have up-to-date risk assessments that reflect their current needs. Staff have a better understanding of the risks to children and how to manage these vulnerabilities.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are beginning to have a better insight into their role in keeping children safe when they go missing from the home. Staff are now following the home’s missing policy. When a child recently went missing, staff looked for them and informed their family and the professional network. Staff also searched the child’s bedroom to Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 2 further understand any danger the child may be in. Leaders and managers requested an independent return home interview for the child and staff also spoke with the child when they returned home, to check on their well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Although there have been improvements in managing incidents when children go missing from the home, police remain concerned about how these episodes are reported. Staff are still not providing sufficient detail about their efforts to find children. Staff do not give clear descriptions about the child’s physical appearance or about any other risks they may be in. This does not help the police to remain well informed about the child’s circumstances or any other important information that can be used to locate them.

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This monitoring visit

Managers now have better oversight of incidents that happen in the home. After incidents happen, managers talk to the staff about their practice and how they can improve the quality of care that children receive. Conversations about staff practice also take place during team meetings and supervision.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the progress made, leaders and managers’ oversight of training is inconsistent. Not all staff have received training to meet the specific needs of the children.

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This monitoring visit

One child’s social worker said that ‘communication remains poor’ and they often chase for information. Leaders and managers are still not acting promptly when external support is required for a child. When a child required support from a substance misuse service, the registered person did not escalate concerns despite delays in accessing the service.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers were unable to evidence that gaps in employment histories have been suitably addressed. This raises concerns about their oversight of the safer recruitment process.

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This monitoring visit

Most requirements made at the last inspection were outside the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Inadequate 26/02/2025 Full Inadequate 06/09/2023 Full Outstanding 01/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 4

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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 with 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 October 2025

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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 (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience;

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 5 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must keep children's records up to date and ensure information in children's files is clear and accessible.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children's home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person 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, leaders and managers must ensure that they provide the police with up-to-date information about children and their efforts to find children when they are missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must also ensure that they notify local authorities about safeguarding concerns in a timely way 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 6 and escalate such concerns if they are not satisfied with the response they receive.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that local authorities are up to date with children’s progress.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must also ensure that they gain consent from children's social workers about changes to care arrangements within the home.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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)(a)(b)(e)) 5 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home has an updated fire risk assessment carried out by an appropriate, qualified body or individual. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 7

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Inspector

Chelsea Agyeman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025813 8 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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