Children's home run by Juniper Care and Support Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 1 Registered provider: Juniper Care and Support 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

The home was registered in July 2025 and is owned and managed by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child had recently moved on from the home. Inspectors did not speak to the child as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2025.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, they receive a move that is considerate of their individual circumstances. The manager meets with professionals to understand the needs of the child and takes guidance from health professionals on the most appropriate steps to take. Previous carers and known professionals are involved in the move to support a positive experience. As a result, the child was able to experience a settled beginning to life at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has positive relationships with staff who they trust. Time is taken to get to know the child and understand their views and what matters most to them. The child can quickly confide in the staff and talk about those things that are personal during difficult times. Professionals say that staff speak warmly about the child and are committed to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work with the child and professionals to maintain educational engagement. The manager liaises with previous education providers, the local authority and virtual school to provide alternative arrangements. Practical solutions such as a laptop and a timetable support the child to engage in structured home learning while a new school is being identified. The child received encouragement from staff and completed online education during the school holiday period in addition to term-time learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child engages in lots of activities. Staff have created opportunities for the child to try new experiences and engage in things that interest the child the most. The manager purchased a karaoke machine and arranged poetry readings to promote the child’s interests. The child enjoyed time with staff in the community at fairgrounds and the beach. Staff take time to bake and engage in activities around the home that the child enjoys such as arts and crafts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some information about children and their time at the home is poorly recorded. Staff record factual information from the child’s day, but this does not always capture how this may impact on children or staff. When children read their information, the lack of additional context would not be helpful for the child looking back on their time at the home.

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

The manager acts quickly when there are concerns about staff who work in the home. The appropriate agencies are informed and fact-finding takes place to update the police and local authority with important information. The manager maintains regular contact with agencies in weekly meetings to keep appraised of the child’s situation and offer support to the local authority and carers of the child. The manager recognises the Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 3 impact on staff and completes development sessions to raise understanding and provide emotional support to the staff team.

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

Children’s safety plans use information from different services, including mental health services, previous placements and the child's social worker. The information is clear and uses a rating scale to make it easier for staff to identify the level of risk. The actions that staff need to take to engage the child and build relationships or respond to behaviours of concern are clear for staff to follow. During the child’s time at the home, there has been a significant reduction in harm to the child, and the use of physical intervention has not been used at all.

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

Senior leaders take appropriate steps to support good safeguarding practice. There are increased risks due to the family relationships between senior leaders. External consultants are commissioned to manage allegations against specific leaders, including the responsible individual. Staff development days take place to increase staff awareness and inform their practice. Staff are familiar with the additional whistle blowing policy which promotes good safeguarding practice.

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

When a child harms themselves, the staff act quickly to obtain the right emotional support and treatment of injuries. Staff liaise with hospital staff and mental health teams to increase their understanding of the child and their needs. The record of the injuries, however; are not consistently recorded. A body map and injury log was not completed on one occasion. This means that the description, severity and location of the injury for that day was not logged which reduces staff awareness and understanding of potential patterns or trends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager escalates his concerns when services are not meeting their obligations. There were times when a tutor was not present to deliver the child’s scheduled online education. The manager also raised the issue that the child’s education, health and care plan was out of date and needed to be reviewed. Because of the manager raising these concerns, a contact number has been made available to report any tutor non-attendance and the local authority have now started to plan the EHCP review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular and effective supervision. The staff say the sessions are supportive and they can discuss the children and reflect on practice. Children and their plans are central to the discussion and when practice issues develop, these are addressed promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes regular auditing of the home's systems and processes. Checks are thorough and cover all aspects of the home’s recording and reporting. The manager uses a mix of daily, weekly and monthly checks to support his oversight. Additional quarterly topics are reviewed to check on the child's plans and issues of concern. This approach supports leaders and managers to retain good oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 4 The manager and staff promote diversity and address concerns when they arise. The manager takes action to address discriminatory attitudes and works to promote relationships between children and staff of different ethnicities. Staff receive emotional and practical support from managers to understand children’s histories and address the issue quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers moved a child into the home before it was registered to provide care for children. In addition, the child’s identified needs were not met in full as the majority of staff training had lapsed and remains so. Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 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, 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 62 paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure staff are suitably trained to meet the assessed needs of children. (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 51 paragraph 10.1)

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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: 2832043 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Juniper Care and Support Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Galley & Tindle, Oakmere, Belmont Business Park, Durham, DH1 1TW

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Inspectors

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2832043 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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