Children's home run by Casaegis Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 1 Registered provider: Casaegis Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/08/2024 Full Inadequate 28/11/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Both children were spoken to during the inspection and their views sought on living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress are hindered by serious failures in safeguarding and leadership. The lack of consistent, safe care has compromised children’s development and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The two children who live at the home have lived there for a number of years. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has made sustained progress over a three-year period, supported by personalised care, a structured routine and regular educational engagement. The child maintains strong family relationships and demonstrates emotional resilience. These outcomes reflect isolated examples of effective practice. However, this progress was disrupted by an incident of avoidable harm due to insufficient staff supervision, which undermined the child’s sense of safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The other child’s progress has been significantly affected by poor management of risks and inconsistent care. Despite forming positive relationships with staff and accessing education through one-to-one support, the absence of coordinated planning has contributed to an escalation of risk, meaning that the child’s progress and safety have been significantly compromised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of children’s health needs. Children are registered with primary healthcare services and attend appointments when required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children attend education and have been provided with education by a private tutor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are encouraged to contribute to decisions about aspects of their day-to-day lives, such as food choices and activities. They do this through participating in a weekly children’s meeting. This promotes a sense of involvement and autonomy.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are not consistently effective. Children have been exposed to avoidable risk due to a poor understanding of how to manage risks, inconsistent responses to incidents, gaps in staff training and poor management oversight.

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

The registered manager does not demonstrate that there is a strong or proactive response to managing risk and reducing harm for children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 4 Children’s risk management plans are not routinely updated following serious incidents, such as a child accessing dangerous items or going missing from care. This lack of responsive planning undermines the safety of children and means that plans do not include all known risks to children or clear strategies for staff to follow in practice to reduce risk.

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

Children do not always receive help that they need to manage their behaviour and emotions in a safe and supportive way. The use of consequences is inconsistent and debriefs following incidents are not reliably conducted. This limits opportunities for reflection and learning.

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

Some staff lack the confidence and skills to manage challenging behaviour effectively. While de-escalation techniques are used by some staff, poor recording prevents evaluation of their effectiveness. The use of physical holds on children is not appropriately monitored; there is no central log, and staff training is unclear. This raises concerns about the safety and appropriateness of restrictive practices.

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

Recruitment processes lack rigour. Gaps in personnel records and inconsistent verification of references mean there is insufficient assurance that unsuitable individuals are prevented from working with children.

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

Notifications to safeguarding bodies, including the local authority designated officer and police, are not made consistently. For example, an incident involving a child accessing a screwdriver and keeping this in their possession overnight was not investigated promptly. The investigation only progressed as a result of this inspection.

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

The physical environment is safe and well maintained. Health and safety checks are completed, and children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and take age- appropriate responsibility for their space.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management have not been effective. The registered manager has failed to ensure that systems, oversight and staff development are robust enough to safeguard children and promote their welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s focus on individualised work with one child has detracted from broader leadership responsibilities. This has contributed to missed opportunities to learn from safeguarding incidents and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision does not consistently take place regularly. This limits the opportunity for staff to reflect and explore any challenges that arise and discuss possible solutions with the manager. Records do not provide enough focus on children’s needs or evidence that staff have had space to discuss any challenges. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 5 Some staff have been exposed to high levels of physical aggression from one child in the home. Following incidents, staff have not received consistent emotional support or debriefs from the manager, which affects their well-being and ability to provide safe care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been insufficient focus on staff training and development. There is no central record of training to hold children safely. This hinders effective management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management review of staff rotas does not routinely consider the experience, training of staff or the impact of agency staff caring for children. Since the last inspection, 18 agency staff have worked in the home without receiving training in the home’s behaviour management model. At the time of inspection, only one senior member of staff was in post. This has compromised continuity and stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Record-keeping is disorganised. A transition between electronic systems has resulted in children’s historical records being inaccessible to staff. This limits the ability of staff to monitor progress, respond to changing needs and support the children to understand and contribute to their own care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not notified Ofsted of all serious incidents in the home. This is a breach of regulation and means that the regulator cannot effectively monitor incidents in the home to ensure that children and staff are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The report of the review of the quality of care does not contain any analysis of incidents or safeguarding notifications, which is a shortfall. This limits the oversight of the home and the effectiveness of plans and planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)) 19 October 2025

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 19 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 7 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers and staff have the knowledge, skills and understanding to recognise when children are at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there is effective managerial oversight of incidents and of the care being provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs.

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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 19 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 8 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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36). (Regulation 38 (h)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff and children, when necessary, have appropriate access to records. 19 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the 19 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 9 measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are only physically held as a last resort. In the event of being held, ensure that children receive the appropriate support afterwards and that any measure used is recorded appropriately.

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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; 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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that serious incidents are notified to those required by regulation. 19 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of 19 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 10 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 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

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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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) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when completing a quality of care review, safeguarding incidents are taken into consideration.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 11

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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: 2595123 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 84 Wigston Road, Oadby, Leicestershire LE2 5QD

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Inspector

Lisa Walsh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2595123 13 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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