Children's home run by Almond Care Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 1 Registered provider: Almond Care Children’s 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

This home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to five children who 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 children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2025.

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

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: Following an assurance inspection in January 2025, two compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice were issued. Progress against these were explored at a subsequent monitoring inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2024 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Outstanding 29/06/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care planning for children is not robust, and lacks required detail to effectively plan for children’s moves to the home. Managers lacked curiosity about the children’s experiences of trauma, culture and their vulnerability to exploitation. Pre-admission assessments do not appropriately consider how a sibling group could safely live together or the staff skill set required to meet the identified needs of children. Important documentation was not received in a timely way prior to children moving into the home which meant staff were not adequately prepared to care for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not making progress at the home. Children are not engaged in schooling or learning and they do not regularly engage in activities that develop their interests or hobbies. Professionals raised that children spend large periods of time in isolated areas of the home and do not have good daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not have warm relationships with staff and children are distrustful of them. Staff and children do not spend time together in the home and staff do not meaningfully engage with children. As a result, children choose to independently manage most of their care needs including cooking and cleaning for themselves. Children shared that they do not like living at the home and are experiencing low mood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s plans and documentation lacks consistency. The quality of plans varies and some lack required or correct details. Some identified risks, such as information about one child’s declining mental health, were not included. Consequently, plans do not offer staff clear or pragmatic advice about how the aims of children’s care can be achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do attempt to have one-to-one discussions and house meetings with children but these lack depth and curiosity. Recordings are limited and do not capture conversations fully. When discussions are not successful staff do not always try to re-engage children, even when there have been serious concerns that need exploring. This prevents children from being able to meaningfully influence the care they receive at the home.

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

Staff do not always make decisions which are in the best interests of children or proactively safeguard them. As a result, preventable incidents have occurred that have put children at serious risk of harm. For example, on one occasion, staff bought children a barbeque which the children subsequently used to start a fire in the home’s courtyard.

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

Reports of incidents sometimes omit important contextual information, such as antecedents to events, which may have informed children’s behaviours. This means that incidents are taken in isolation and not considered alongside the wider events of the day. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 4 This prevents the manager from having effective oversight and identifying areas of learning or development.

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

There have been several serious incidents at the home. Staff are not confident to intervene when children’s behaviours escalate, and they do not know how to help children to feel calm. Staff have relied on behaviour management strategies, such as locking doors, retreating to an office or calling the police. Children and staff have alleged that they have been injured during some of these incidents. This raises concerns about the ongoing safety of children and staff at the home with current staffing arrangements in place.

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

Staff have experienced racial remarks and comments made towards them when caring for children. This led to staff sometimes feeling fearful to manage children’s behaviour.

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

Staff do not appropriately plan for identified times when children are often upset, such as following time spent with their wider family. Staff are not confident to connect with children and do not engage children quickly with positive activities. Therefore, children do not receive coordinated care from the staff, and this has led to children targeting lone members of staff. Staff do not feel they can safely implement physical intervention with children with the current staffing ratios. This limits options open to staff to make situations safe for all.

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

There have been two occasions when a child has been administered the incorrect dosage of medication. Staff have been complacent towards their responsibilities and have not referred to or updated children’s health plans during administrative processes.

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

Room searches are not completed with any regularity even when there are identified risks for children. Staff cannot therefore be assured that children do not have medication or smoking paraphernalia in their possession. This potentially poses a significant risk to the health and safety of all children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff care about children and want the best for them. Staff recognise that they have not been able to connect with children or develop good relationships with them. It is acknowledged that there have been difficult working conditions for staff, particularly when racism has been directed towards them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The duality of the registered manager’s role for the provider has meant that management oversight and guidance has not been to a good enough level. The day-to- day running of the home has not been conducted consistently by the registered manager, and many managerial tasks have been delegated to other senior members of staff. This has prevented clear and accountable leadership at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The oversight of the responsible individual and their impact is not evident across documentation or incidents. Concerns have been shared that practical support and Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 5 quality assurance of the home is not offered by the responsible individual, and that these tasks have been largely delegated to others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team in place to care for the children is newly formed and many staff do not have the required qualification. Staff had not worked together as a team prior to complex children moving to the home and the staff’s strengths and vulnerabilities were not therefore understood when considering the suitability of referrals to the home. Managers have not assured themselves of the suitability of senior team members to lead the home in the absence of a manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not proactively supported staff to overcome their fears nor been creative about how to care for children effectively. Staff utilise team meetings to openly acknowledge the challenges in implementing consistent boundaries with children. Despite this, managers do not always attend team meetings or offer staff support and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do receive supervisions and value this space. Staff use supervisions to appropriately raise safeguarding concerns, but this information is not used to update children’s risk management plans or inform staff practice moving forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 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 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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’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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are accountable management arrangements at the home. That the care delivered in the home aligns with the home’s statement of purpose. That managers 11 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 7 develop processes to evaluate the quality of care at the home. That staff receive regular and good quality supervision.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the responsible individual has clear auditing systems in place for the oversight of the home. The responsible individual must ensure that the registered manager has the capacity to fulfil their role fully and support in reflection following safeguarding concerns at the home. 11 December 2025

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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, ensure that children’s matching processes are robust, and consider whether staff have the skills and experiences to meet the needs of children coming to live at the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 11 December 2025

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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; 11 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 8 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff act in a way that prioritises the safety of children and that records of incidents are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning.

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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— that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; 11 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 9 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have clear plans regarding the children’s education and that children not in school have good daily routines that encourages a return to learning.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are supported to develop meaningful relationships with children and are consistent in addressing children’s behaviour. 11 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. 11 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 10 In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand and adhere to agreed medicine administration processes.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2567607 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Almond Care Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Almond Care Ltd, 4 Barling Way, Nuneaton CV10 7RH

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Inspectors

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Rebecca Barker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2567607 12 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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