Children's home 2775797

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775797 1 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home, which may provide care and accommodation for up to six children with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2024.

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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: 5 November 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: 2775797 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2775797 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and welcoming home. Their bedrooms are decorated to match their interests, and their achievements are proudly shown on their bedroom walls. This fosters their emotional well-being and builds their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to meet their educational milestones. All the children engage in education and have good attendance. Staff work closely with education professionals to make sure each child gets the right support. This approach has made a significant difference. For example, one child’s communication has vastly improved because the same strategies used at school are used at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are generally healthy, with their emotional and physical health needs well supported. Staff pay close attention to each child’s well-being. For example, one child who was overweight and had difficulty moving around is now a healthy weight and enjoys regular exercise. Toys and activities are carefully chosen to meet children’s sensory needs, helping them feel comfortable and engaged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide variety of enjoyable activities that are thoughtfully planned by staff. The manager works closely with the team to review these plans, making sure each activity is tailored to the individual needs of the children. Staff and the manager consider factors such as noise, sensory activities and children’s past experiences. This careful approach means that activities are not only fun, but also safe and emotionally supportive. As a result, this supports children’s development and enables them to participate fully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to and respected. They help make choices about their daily routines, meals and how their rooms are decorated. Staff use each child’s way of communicating to make sure their views are understood. This includes using social stories, pictures and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) to help children understand and share their thoughts. As a result, children feel involved, confident and happy in their environment.

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

A positive culture of safeguarding is established in the home. Staff recognise the value of multi-agency support to ensure that children are safe. Safeguarding concerns are recorded clearly and reported appropriately to social workers.

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

Staff understand the children well and speak to them in ways that match how each child communicates. They watch carefully to understand what the children need and how they feel. When one child showed signs of being unsettled, staff responded with care and support. However, there is not always enough staff in place as identified in their care plan. Senior leaders know about this, but extra staff is yet to be in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775797 4 Staff build nurturing relationships with children. A recently admitted child is settling in well, with staff actively supporting them in managing their behaviour. Staff have developed creative strategies to help the child seek support during moments when expressing their emotions verbally was difficult. As a result, the child feels confident turning to trusted adults for emotional support.

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

Children are supported to become independent. Staff help them practise everyday skills like washing and dressing. As a result, this helps build their self-esteem and prepares them for the future.

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

Staff receive regular training in line with children’s needs. Therefore, children receive care and support from staff with suitable skills and knowledge to best support them.

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

The home follows safe recruitment checks to ensure that appropriately vetted staff are employed. When agency staff are used, the manager ensures that the same staff are used to maintain consistency in order to provide stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who knows the staff and children well. She leads by example to support and develop the staff team. The manager is actively involved in the children’s day-to-day care. The manager and staff have high aspirations for each child and work hard to help children to enjoy their childhoods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager strives to ensure that each child’s needs are met to a high standard. They advocate for children and maintain a child focused ethos in their decision- making. For one child, this led to changes in family time that were more aligned with the child’s emotional needs. A social worker also commended how the manager effectively challenges other professionals to ensure that children get the support they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager admitted a child, with positive intentions, but the child’s needs are not in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are supporting the child well, but because this child’s needs are different, they are not building peer relationships with other children and are not getting the full benefit of living within the home environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager and receive regular supervision. One staff member described the manager as very supportive and approachable, and another said they had been brilliant in supporting them with their NVQ (National Vocational Qualification).

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some staff have been racially abused in the local community. The manager has supported them and worked with the police to make sure the right steps were taken. Senior leaders have also made sure all staff have access to emotional support when they need it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from both parents and professionals is highly positive. Communication with the manager and staff is described as consistent, with regular updates on the children’s progress and any concerns. One parent shared, ‘I can do nothing but sing their praise.’ Another commended the staff for going above and beyond, driving long distances to ensure family time with their child could happen. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775797 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(iv)) In particular, the registered manager should ensure that there are staff in place to support children in line with their behaviour support plans. 6 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (a)) 6 February 2026

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2775797 6

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Inspector

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775797 7 regulates 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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