Children's Home run by Surety Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 1 Registered provider: Surety Care Limited

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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 registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in the home since July 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Serious and widespread concerns were identified during an assurance inspection on 7 October 2025. As a result, two compliance notices were issued in relation to regulations 12 and 13. Due to the significant shortfalls, Ofsted also issued a restriction of accommodation notice to prevent further children from being admitted to the home. This monitoring visit took place to evaluate the provider’s compliance with the notices.

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This monitoring visit

Overall home conditions are satisfactory. However, the child’s bedroom remains poorly maintained. The child continues to sleep on a mattress on the floor after breaking their bed more than four weeks ago. Although offered a bed from another room, the child declined, expressing a preference for a new bed. No replacement has been purchased. Offensive language remains painted on the bedroom walls.

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This monitoring visit

The child currently living in the home states that things have improved since the new manager assumed responsibility. They feel listened to and value the increased opportunities for time in the community with friends. This has led to a reduction in missing-from-home episodes for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are now current, detailed and clearly focused on identifying, analysing and mitigating risks linked to the child’s individual needs and behaviours. Staff demonstrate improved implementation of risk management strategies in daily practice, and management oversight ensures assessments are reviewed following Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 2 incidents or changes in circumstances. Safeguarding arrangements have therefore strengthened.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager has made notable progress in a short period. Increased managerial presence, enhanced oversight, targeted staff development and structured monitoring and reflective practice have begun to stabilise and improve the quality of care. While the foundations for consistent and effective leadership are now in place, these improvements require further embedding and sustained implementation.

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This monitoring visit

Staff describe feeling well supported by the new leadership team. Two new senior staff and the acting manager have contributed to a more positive and structured environment. Staff report increased confidence in meeting the child’s needs due to improved support and guidance.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have implemented clear and targeted actions to address previous shortfalls. This includes introducing strengthened monitoring systems and new audit tools and improving staffing competence through the development of acting senior roles and a comprehensive workforce development plan.

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This monitoring visit

Training has been allocated appropriately, with workshops such as risk assessment and therapeutic writing delivered and further sessions scheduled. Oversight has improved through updated compatibility risk assessments, a fully up-to-date supervision matrix and the appointment of a new independent person for Regulation 44 visits.

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This monitoring visit

Management presence in the home is stronger, and supervision arrangements, including for night staff, are now more robust. Clinical support is being established through planned work with a psychologist. Learning from incidents is being reviewed, with historical events identified for reflective analysis. A new key-work folder and revised team meeting structure support consistent and reflective practice.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager plans to step up into the role of responsible individual, and a new manager has been recruited. The acting manager plans to remain in post until the new manager is in post, indicating a commitment to maintaining stable leadership.

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This monitoring visit

Sufficient progress has been made to determine that the compliance notices have been met. All statutory requirements, including those previously subject to compliance notices, remain in place and will be reviewed at the next inspection to ensure that improvements are fully embedded. The restriction of accommodation notice has been lifted. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 4

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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 with 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

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

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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; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have a clear understanding of children’s risks and how to manage these. This also relates to ensuring that staff identify and respond appropriately to risk. 16 February 2026

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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— 16 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 5 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;

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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; 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)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is consistent and appropriate oversight of the home to ensure children are receiving good-quality care. This also relates to ensuring that the staff in the home have the knowledge, skills and experience to meet the needs of the children.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that new children moving into the home are adequately risk assessed against the needs of the child living in the home and that when a child leaves the home, this is a positive experience for them. 16 February 2026

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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

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 16 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(xi)(b)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the reactions of staff to children’s behaviour are appropriate and that staff have the skills to form and sustain meaningful relationships with children in order to support them with their behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that a suitable manager is appointed and applies to register with Ofsted in the appropriate timescales. 16 February 2026

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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. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the responsible individual is effective in the home. 16 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. 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 must ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment, with care and attention given to the child’s bedroom. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surety Care Limited

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2817732 9 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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