Children's Home run by Clear Water Care Homes Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 1 Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes 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 owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in June 2021. She is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Three children were present during the inspection and spoke with 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provides children with a welcoming, warm and nurturing home environment. Children’s bedrooms and the living areas of the home resonate with a sense of individuality, achievement and special interests. Toys, artwork photographs, certificates and posters clearly reflect the individual hobbies, interests and achievements of each child. The décor, maintenance and organisation of the home clearly suggest that those who live there are important, valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that staff are skilled and equipped to meet all children’s needs. This enables the staff to prepare and support children well, so that their moves into and out of the home are smooth and successful. A decision was made for one child to move out of the home due to an increase in incidents, which staff were not able to safely manage, and which impacted the other children living in the home. The manager supported this child throughout the process of moving out. One child successfully moved on to live independently. Over their three years living in the home, they were provided with essential life skills which supported their transition. They developed skills, such as being able to budget money, travel independently, complete laundry tasks and prepare meals. These opportunities enable children to take on appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite facing significant challenges, children’s self-esteem and confidence improve significantly. Staff sensitively support and encourage children with their identity and have skilfully supported one child to be proud of their identity and sexuality. Staff and children have an inclusive attitude and celebrate diversity. Children are encouraged to celebrate and embrace their identity and have attended a local festival celebrating diversity and inclusion. As a result of this work, children have a greater tolerance of each other and there is no bullying within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. All children have faced challenges with their education and have had periods of disengagement. The manager and staff are persistent with children in motivating them to want to learn and finding ways to engage them. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find children a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. They have successfully supported two children to reintegrate into education despite them having a history of no attendance. This helps children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain regular contact with their families when this is safe and appropriate. They provide practical and emotional support to maintain and develop these relationships. This means that children are not isolated from those who are important to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 4 Children like spending time with staff and enjoy living here. As children grow in confidence, they access new social circles and enjoy a range of new activities. Children take part in activities that they enjoy with staff. This provides children with the opportunity to gain new experiences and have fun. Children’s likes and interests are nurtured particularly well. For example, one child has learned to swim and has joined a local football team, playing in their first match. Another child attends a gymnastic and cheerleading club.

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

Children are safe and said that they feel safe. As a result of the close and nurturing relationships that children have with staff, they feel able to share their worries and concerns. Staff are confident and skilled when managing allegations and ensure that the appropriate agencies are notified. Consequently, children feel supported and are protected from harm.

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

Staff understand the child protection policy and know how to report a safeguarding concern. The manager has an effective system in place for recording, reporting and monitoring safeguarding concerns. Liaison with professionals, such as the designated officer and social workers, is effective. Information is shared swiftly with them to avoid delay and ensure that children are protected from harm. The manager takes guidance from these professionals, and they work together to ensure that children are safe. Safeguarding records are comprehensive. They detail the outcome of any concern as well as further actions staff need to be aware of.

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

Due to the positive relationships between the children and staff, the use of physical intervention is rare. When physical intervention is used, this is necessary and proportionate. Staff physically intervene when children become unsettled and show behaviours which place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff understand the reasons behind this behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. The recording is effective and clear, and reflection and follow-up conversations take place to help the staff to reflect on their practice and explore the triggers for the incidents, including how they could respond differently in the future. The manager provides scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. Effective management oversight and prompt action to address issues means that children are treated fairly and

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

When children go missing from care, staff take effective and prompt action. Searches conducted by staff and persistent attempts to make contact show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the manager.

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

Managers and staff demonstrate a great understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and potential risks posed to them. Clear guidance and strategies to follow are recorded in written risk assessments. This awareness is embedded in the staff’s day-to-day work, Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 5 which effectively reduces and minimises the risks for children. This helps ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

The fire risk assessment, which was reviewed in May 2025, highlights priority actions to be remedied with immediate effect. However, some of these actions are yet to be addressed. This lack of action by managers to ensure the safety of the premises leaves children and staff at unnecessary risk of harm. The manager took prompt action to rectify this during the inspection; the outstanding actions have now been scheduled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about the service and advocating for children’s views. She is supported by a strong deputy manager. Together, they keep children at the heart of all they do. They role model a nurturing and therapeutic approach to children’s care. They are clear about the progress children are making and have high aspirations for what they can achieve. They are enthusiastic in their efforts to be trusted people for children. This makes them excellent role models for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management have created an open and inclusive culture that places children at the centre of practice. They value and promote good teamwork well. As a result, children build positive relationships with the staff, whose skilled and caring practice increases the bonds between them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets the child’s individual and diverse needs. Staff receive regular supervision, which considers children’s care and any practice or performance concerns. Team meeting discussions are reflective and provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made by children. This allows all staff an opportunity to discuss children’s progress, generate ideas and have a consistent approach to the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. The members of the management team are well regarded and are nurturing towards the team. This means that staff work in an environment where they feel well supported. One staff member said, ‘This is the best home I have worked in. The management are so supportive and are always there. They have helped me so much to develop in my role.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is a key strength of the home and supports the positive outcomes experienced by children. Staff work in conjunction with children, social workers and a range of education and health agencies to plan and support children’s current and future placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are embedded into practice, which ensures that they have a good oversight of the home and take action to address issues as they arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The external monitoring of the home does not meet regulation 44. An independent visitor attends the home monthly and produces reports. However, these reports have not been sent to HMCI within the relevant timescales, nor do they consistently seek Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 6 feedback from relevant professionals, family and children. This limits independent scrutiny of the effectiveness of the arrangements for caring for and protecting children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 7

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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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any outstanding actions in the fire risk assessment are completed without delay. 4 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. 4 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 8 The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the independent visitor consults with all relevant people, including children, during their visits and reports are sent to HMCI within timescales.

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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: 2614738 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Elsenwood Crescent, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2BA

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 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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