Clare Lodge

Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 1 Clare Lodge

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Clare Lodge Secure Childrens Home, 8 Lincoln Road, Glinton, Peterborough PE6 7AW

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this secure children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The home provides care for up to 16 girls aged between 10 and 17 who are placed by local authorities under section 25 of the Children Act 1989. There were nine children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Admission of any child who is under 13 years old requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services at this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities. Inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The manager was registered in July 2025.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this secure children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 2 Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 3

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

Children are sometimes physically restrained for compliance rather than for legitimate safety reasons, and staff have on occasion used holds that are not in line with agreed practice. For example, staff have used unapproved restraint techniques to remove a child from another child’s bedroom. They have also physically intervened to attempt to retrieve a radio concealed under a child’s jumper. Neither of these incidents met the threshold for the use of physical intervention, and such actions are therefore unlawful practice.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are not consistently seen by a health professional following the use of physical restraint, even when they express concerns about being hurt. This fails to ensure that children are adequately safeguarded or that their health and well-being are monitored effectively.

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Findings from the inspection

Some children have been subject to physical abuse by agency staff. For example, on one occasion, an agency staff pulled and dragged a child and threw items multiple times at the child. CCTV footage has identified other extremely poor and unsafe practice that could have resulted in injury to a child. Of particular concern is that permanent staff failed to intervene to stop these incidents. This represents a serious safeguarding failure and contributes to an unsafe and harmful culture in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not maintained effective oversight and have been unaware of some significant incidents that have occurred. This has compromised effective oversight and decision-making, potentially leading to delays in safeguarding actions and poor accountability. This poor management oversight and lack of awareness of concerns and the quality of care provided have the potential to contribute to an unsafe home. On occasion, the documented management oversight and reviews of incidents do not match CCTV recordings.

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Findings from the inspection

Children do not benefit from a welcoming and emotionally safe living environment. There is a significant amount of negative and worrying writing on some of the children’s bedroom walls. Some of the language is inappropriate. This reflects a culture that appears to tolerate or accept such behaviour and language. These rooms are not repainted before new children move in. This creates an environment that feels neglected and does not indicate to children that they are valued. This has been a longstanding concern for this home, and efforts to address this are not effective.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has not consistently notified Ofsted of all serious incidents that have occurred at the home. This failure to report quickly in a transparent manner undermines confidence that the provider is operating openly and in accordance with regulatory expectations to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 4 Children spoken with during the inspection said that they enjoy taking part in activities with staff and sometimes the other children.

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Findings from the inspection

Requirements set at previous inspections in respect of care planning and quality of the environment have not been met. The requirement set at the last inspection in respect of staff recruitment, and recommendations in respect of records of single separations and children’s education, have not been reviewed as part of this inspection. Therefore, these are restated at this inspection. Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/07/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iv)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that when children write on their bedroom walls, the writing is quickly removed and that staff explore other ways for children to express themselves;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that all areas of the home are in a state of good repair and have decor befitting children’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that interventions are delivered in order to enable children’s progress;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that children receive care that meets their individual needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the 15 December Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 7 child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)(b)) 15 December

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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

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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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 15 December Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 8 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

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)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that auditing and monitoring are effective at identifying themes or shortfalls when reviewing CCTV and that records of incidents correspond with the footage seen.

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Requirement Due date

*Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2) (3)) 15 December

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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

that arrangements are in place to— 15 December Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 9 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that care planning supports the specific outcomes for each child and that all staff are working cohesively to deliver care in alignment with the agreed plans and formulations.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that if an employee has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, the reason why the employment or position ended is verified, as far as reasonably practicable.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 15 December

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 15 December Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 10 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. They should ensure that staff receive the training and support they need to improve their subject and pedagogical knowledge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 27-28, paragraph 5.11)  The registered person should ensure that children have a clear plan to continue their education, training or employment once they leave the home. Measurements of progress should include qualitative information, such as how well the child is being prepared for the next stage. Plans should include rewards and recognition of achievements, improvements in attendance and, when appropriate, reduction in behavioural incidents, including exclusion. The child’s personal circumstances, individual needs and educational history are relevant in considering what might

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Recommendations

constitute progress, but should not limit aspirations for them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.2)  The registered person should ensure that records are made and kept of all uses of single separation in the secure children’s home. Children should be offered the opportunity to read and add a comment to the record of their separation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 50- 51, paragraph 9.65) Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 11

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Peterborough City Council

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Peterborough PE2 8TY

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for secure children’s home: SC033362 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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