Children's home run by Care2Care Children’s Home Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 1 Registered provider: Care2Care Children’s Home 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 privately operated home provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since December 2023. The manager is yet to submit a valid application to register.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual. The regulator is waiting on information from the provider, to assess if this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role effectively.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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: 2624784 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled in the home and feel a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy trusting relationships with staff. This helps them to feel secure and valued. As a result, children make good progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent, nurturing care that meets children’s needs and promotes their progress. This is helping a child who went missing regularly, to enjoy living in the home. One member of staff described the child as ‘glowing’. The child’s parent is also impressed with the child’s progress. They said that the child has matured a lot and is doing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children to access education that meets their individual needs. They work closely with tutors to promote attendance, encourage learning and help children to prepare for a return to formal education. One child looks forward to starting a new school, while another, who has been working occasionally at a stable, hopes to begin an equine studies course.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s participation in a wide range of activities at home and in the community. These experiences help children to build confidence, develop hobbies and build friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a strong understanding of children’s needs. They ensure that children attend health appointments and support them to lead healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from staff’s care for their physical health and emotional well-being.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and respond quickly to concerns. Staff also help children to understand how to keep safe, particularly when they are away from the home. As a result, incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced.

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

Children feel safe. They know that staff listen to them and act in their best interests. Staff are trained in safeguarding and use their knowledge confidently to keep children safe.

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

Staff share safeguarding concerns with other agencies, including the local authority designated officer. This helps to ensure that appropriate action is taken to protect children. However, the manager does not always inform Ofsted of allegations against staff when they consider these to be less serious.

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

Managers carry out a range of employment checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. However, they do not keep clear records of the dates that staff started working in the home. They also do not fully explore gaps in staff employment Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 4 history. This could result in unsuitable people being employed. Managers say that they are committed to improving this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been recent changes in the management team. Despite this, the quality of care provided to children remains good. However, there are inconsistencies in leadership oversight, including operational documents and regulatory responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders have not acted promptly in sharing the required information with the regulator to assess the suitability of the newly appointed responsible individual. The manager has also not submitted a suitable application to register. This undermines regulatory oversight of the home and reflects a lack of regulatory understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The provider’s review of the quality of care lacks detail about children’s progress and does not consistently include views from children, parents, placing authorities or staff. These reports are also not always sent to Ofsted on time. This is a missed opportunity to show how children’s views influence the development of the home and to demonstrate ongoing improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the independent person’s reports are consistently sent to Ofsted. This has not affected the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager supports staff to review children’s care records so that they contain up-to- date information about each child’s needs. Some records refer to children going missing from home as ‘absconding’. This is not child-friendly or respectful language.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are positive about the changes made by the new manager. They say that the manager creates a calm environment and promotes effective teamwork. One member of staff described the home as ‘blossoming’ with experienced and qualified staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge, which strengthen their practice. They feel well supported through regular supervision and training. Staff value recent training that helps them to build secure, trusting relationships with children, especially those who have experienced trauma and attachment disruptions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

However, the home’s statement of purpose does not clearly set out staff experience, qualifications or supervision arrangements. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate the quality of staff development and their knowledge in caring for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the manager submits a valid application to register and that the requested information is shared with the regulator regarding the suitability of the appointed responsible individual.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 3 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose includes the staffing structure, experience and qualifications of staff and arrangements for the supervision of staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. This includes keeping clear records of the dates that staff started working in the home and fully exploring gaps in employment history. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 6  The registered person should notify Ofsted if a child or another person has made an allegation against a member of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the quality of care reviews set out in regulation 45 are sent to Ofsted in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person provides a copy of the independent person’s report to the regulator and children’s placing authorities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2624784 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care2Care Children’s Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Room 147, 981 Great West Road, Brentford TW8 9DN

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Inspector

Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624784 8 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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