Children's Home run by Lundi Education and Care Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 1 Registered provider: Lundi Education and Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child moved out of the home during the inspection. Two children spoke to the inspector.

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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: 29 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: 2692957 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have worked hard to ensure that the home is warm, welcoming and a safe place for children to live. Staff know the children well and are responsive to their needs. As a result, children say they are happy living in their home, they trust staff and feel a great sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When one child was feeling unsettled, staff were curious in their approach. They spent time with the child and were able to identify their anxieties. As a result, they were able to speak with the child’s family and retrieved a treasured item from the child’s home, which alleviated their worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff work proactively and positively with parents to promote meaningful and safe family time. One child told the inspector that staff were helpful in enabling them to spend time with their family. The child said that ‘staff always make sure that I get there on time’. One social worker said that staff have formed a positive relationship with the family. This is supporting the progression of the child’s care plan to return home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy an active lifestyle, and their hobbies and interests are well supported. Staff encourage children to have fun and engage in activities in the home and community. Children have opportunities to take part in new experiences. For example, one child went to the zoo and the cinema with staff for the first time and enjoyed it. The staff and children are also planning a summer holiday together. These experiences enrich children’s lives and support the children to develop their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff consistently listen to children’s views. Children have multiple opportunities to have their say, through general chats, children’s meetings and reflective discussions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have been welcomed into the home. The registered manager considered the children’s needs and vulnerabilities in relation to the children already living at the home. The children’s moves were managed sensitively and in line with their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on from the home have had mixed experiences. One child moved into semi-independent living, and staff supported them well with this. There was a clear plan in place, and staff maintained contact with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, one child experienced an unplanned end to their time at the home. Staff were aware of the child’s vulnerabilities before the child moved into the home. They worked hard to support the child and engage them in diversionary activities in attempts to reduce risk. Staff escalated concerns but were not persistent in raising their concerns Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 4 with the local authority. As a result, the situation deteriorated and the child had an unexpected move, which resulted in instability and a feeling of rejection for the child.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and the risks to children. Comprehensive risk assessments and safety plans are in place. The plans are kept under constant review and are frequently updated to ensure staff have the accurate information that they need to keep the children safe.

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

Staff help the children through varied direct work to learn about keeping themselves safe. This includes sensitive topics such as relationships, exploitation and online safety. Where vulnerabilities are known, staff initiate discussions frequently, often in a casual manner, to encourage the children to feel relaxed and engage .

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

The manager responds well to complaints and disclosures from children. He responds quickly to concerns and takes the time to talk to the child. Concerns raised about staff conduct are shared with the appropriate safeguarding partners and are managed fairly, quickly and in accordance with guidance. Children are kept informed and are supported and protected.

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

There are effective systems and restrictions in place to keep the children safe online. Staff have regular discussions with the children to ensure their knowledge and understanding of online risks and appropriate relationships are relevant. When children make disclosures, staff adopt a sensitive approach, offering reassurance when discussing difficult topics.

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

The manager quickly identified medication errors. While these errors have had no impact on the children, the manager has implemented additional checks and held reflective discussions with staff to ensure competency in this area of care.

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

Incidents involving physical intervention are minimal. Staff use de-escalation techniques to defuse situations so that the use of physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep the children safe. On one occasion, staff used an untrained hold. There was no harm to the child. The manager acted promptly, speaking with the child, notifying the appropriate professionals and carrying out a full investigation. Staff were encouraged to reflect on this incident, and refresher training was provided for all staff.

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

Overall, staff respond well to incidents of children going missing from home. They follow the home’s policies and procedures to ensure the safe return of the children as soon as possible. When the risks to children continue, the manager and staff have escalated their concerns to the appropriate agencies. However, when their concerns have not been addressed, the manager and staff have failed to escalate these further to the director of children’s services. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is new to the role. Having worked at the home for over two years, he knows the children, staff and home well. He has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager has good oversight of the home and effective auditing tools are in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is suitably staffed to meet the needs of the children. Safer recruitment processes are followed and, when needed, the manager bank staff, who are familiar to the children and the home. Staff receive training that is focused on ensuring that the children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities can be met. This enables consistency of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good and consistent feedback from the staff, who enjoy working at the home and feel supported by the leaders and the manager. The staff work well together, have positive attitudes and are enthusiastic about their roles. Consequently, staff morale is good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervision sessions take place regularly and are used as a time for reflection and learning. Staff are given the opportunity to discuss the children’s care plans, the day-to-day arrangements at the home and their roles and responsibilities. The provider has recently employed a psychotherapist, who will work directly with the staff and children to enable further insight into the children’s individual needs and responses to situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals was mostly positive. Two professionals were positive about the children’s progress and the communication from the manager and staff. One professional felt that communication and support were not consistent. This reduced level of partnership working impacted on the manager’s and staff’s confidence in safeguarding the child, which led to their decision to end the child’s placement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 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

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

This specifically refers to the registered manager ensuring that there is clear, continuous communication and escalation to the child’s placing authority to ensure that each child’s needs are met. 15 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to a child’s recent placement being ended by the provider giving notice to the placing authority. The registered person must ensure that where possible children experience positive, planned moves out of the home. 15 September 2025

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 7 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: 2692957 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lundi Education and Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 28, Anglesey Business Centre, Anglesey Road, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 3NT

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Inspector

Julia Tompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692957 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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