Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services 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

The home was registered in June 2024 and is owned and managed by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It provides care for three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. All three children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2791528 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm and welcoming transition into the home. Staff plan introductory visits to build relationships and understand each child’s interests, routines and current needs. They collaborate with parents and professionals to ensure continuity of care and emotional stability. When children feel anxious, staff respond with patience and sensitivity, helping them settle at their own pace. Children actively participate in choosing their own furniture and decorating their bedrooms. Welcome meals are organised, which reinforce a sense of belonging with the staff and their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children consistently identify trusted adults within the home. One child affectionately refers to their key worker as ‘mama [redacted]’, reflecting the depth of connection and emotional safety they feel. Children describe the home as ‘feeling like family’ and report that their experience has positively transformed their perception of being in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand their emotions and safely manage their behaviour. Children are helped to explore incidents when they are ready to talk, helping them reflect and identify better ways to manage future similar issues. The staff challenge poor behaviour constructively and use tailored strategies to reinforce positive behaviour and self-awareness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in activities that promote inclusion and challenge discrimination. They take part in peer mentoring and community-based events, such as football, where they play with others from diverse backgrounds. This experience has led to greater confidence in children, acceptance of other cultures and greater engagement in local sports teams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not experience meaningful progress in their education. There are brief periods of attendance at school or college, often on significantly reduced timetables. Children have missed exams or faced permanent exclusion, which further impacts on children’s motivation to re-engage in formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are approaching adulthood are not prepared effectively to live independently. Despite living in the home since the age of 16, staff have not delivered effective support to develop a child’s independence skills. The independent living plan lacks any meaningful progress, with no structured work completed around financial literacy or budgeting. The child continues receiving money that is spent impulsively on social outings, takeaways and clothing. This means the child is at risk of entering adulthood without the practical tools or confidence needed to live successfully on her own. Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 4

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

When allegations are received, the manager acts quickly to protect children from harm. Concerns are reported and escalated in line with the home’s safeguarding procedure. The manager listens to the child to understand their views and completes timely fact-finding investigations. The appropriate agencies are informed promptly, and managers maintain effective liaison with them to support the process. Children are informed throughout the process, and plans are reviewed to reflect any lessons learned or concerns that have been identified.

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

Staff are proactive in supporting and protecting children who may be at risk of self-harm. They ensure that children are collected and returned home when out late in the community, offer consistent emotional support and implement strategies to reduce the likelihood of future incidents. The staff remain professionally curious, identifying patterns of behaviour that may indicate increasing risks. The staff use this information to update the child’s plans and how staff respond in the future.

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

The staff are familiar with the children’s individual plans and what to do in the event of a safeguarding incident. There have been no missing episodes since the last inspection, but staff are aware of the steps to take if a child fails to return and the appropriate action needed to mitigate the risks.

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

There are risks within the home environment that require urgent attention. Two televisions, previously wall mounted, have been placed precariously on children’s drawers, creating a hazard. An electrical extension lead runs under drawers that are sharp in a child’s bedroom, posing a potential electrical risk. In addition, the fire risk assessment identifies a high-risk concern relating to the kitchen ceiling. This issue has not been addressed within the recommended time frame, and there is no evidence that the area has been made safe.

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good

The manager does not seek the views of children, their families or others when reviewing the quality of care. As a result, the manager lacks crucial insight into how children perceive their care and what changes those closest to them believe would improve their experience. This limits the manager’s response to improve the care that children receive.

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good

The home is not sufficiently resourced with staff who possess the necessary qualifications and experience to support children effectively. Only one staff member, excluding the manager and deputy, holds the relevant qualification and prior experience in working with children in a similar setting. While mandatory training and induction are provided, staff frequently demonstrate uncertainty when managing challenging behaviours. This impacts on their ability to establish effective structure, routine and boundaries. Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 5 Leaders and managers do not implement the care arrangements agreed with the local authority. One child’s plan specifies two overnight stays per week with family, but they are instead spending up to five nights away from the home. The child returns only to collect money as part of her independence plan, with limited engagement with staff or other children. When present, the child stays in her

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good

bedroom without supervision. Similar patterns occur during stays with extended family, yet leaders and managers have not taken effective action to address these concerns. This lack of oversight compromises the child’s continuity of care.

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good

Managers use an electronic monitoring tool to identify shortfalls in practice and quality of recording. Daily checks and monthly audits are completed to ensure records are timely and accurate. Where gaps are identified, corrective action is taken before the next monitoring period. As a result, the quality of children’s records is maintained and children receive the appropriate support and attend scheduled meetings.

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good

The staff receive regular supervision that provides opportunities to reflect on their work and explore strategies for supporting children’s individual needs. Staff report feeling supported by managers and confident that their views are valued. Induction and training are delivered before working directly with children, and staff are encouraged to contribute to care planning and decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (8)) 1 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 1 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 7 understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)(viii)(ix))

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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.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; 1 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 8 that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(c)(d)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 1 October 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should comply with relevant health and safety legislation and address concerns raised in the fire risk assessment to provide a nurturing and safe environment for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2791528 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 29a, The Link, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 10 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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