Children's home run by St Elizabeth’s Centre

Inspection report for children’s home: 2842261 1 Registered provider: St Elizabeth’s Centre Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a large charitable organisation. It provides care for up to six children aged from five to 19 years with complex medical needs, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy and associated ‘special educational needs and/or disabilities (

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Information about this children’s home

Children attend the on-site school. The inspector only inspected the children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection under new registration. The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2842261 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children have moved into the home, and no children have moved out. The children did not take part in the inspection. Staff provide children with positive experiences and effective care. Children are cared for by a stable and nurturing staff team. This ensures consistency for children and helps them to build trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to personalise their bedrooms to their taste. One child enjoys a train- themed room, while another child has a football-themed duvet cover, posters and large flag on their wall. This helps children to build their own identities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff display children’s certificates proudly in their rooms. Children are celebrated for attending medical appointments and doing well in school. One child has certificates on all four walls of their room. This helps children to feel a sense of achievement and to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain high levels of school attendance. They share information with schools each day about how children have been the night before. This helps school staff to prepare for children coming into lessons and understand their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use children’s preferred methods to communicate effectively. They have discussions with children on managing their emotions and building their independence. This helps children to prepare for the future and to not be limited by their disabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their health and well-being. Staff work closely with in-house nurses and other health professionals to ensure children attend appointments and have treatment when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy many fun activities and outings with staff. Children have positive experiences away from home with trips to parks, bowling and trampoline parks, and they enjoy games at the home with staff. This means children can have the same experiences as their peers.

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

Staff know the children well and help them to stay safe. When children show unwanted behaviour towards their peers, staff educate them using a trauma-informed approach. This removes blame and teaches children about safe relationships.

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

Incidents involving physical intervention are extremely rare. The strength of relationships between staff and children means they de-escalate incidents well. When incidents do occur, managers have good oversight. They make sure staff have the opportunity to have reflective conversations afterwards. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842261 3 Staff are effective at supporting children when they have health crises. They act quickly and involve health professionals when needed. Staff know when to administer medication and are competent with this. They record information effectively and share reports with nurses to monitor children’s health.

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

Staff have a calm, nurturing approach to children in distress. They use their positive relationships with children to help them to remain calm and offer distractions and reassurance. This results in a reduction in incidents and helps to build children’s skills in managing their emotions.

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

On one occasion, a staff member left a child unattended to use the bathroom and did not ask for support from others on site. Although children were unharmed on this occasion, the staff member failed to follow care plans. The management team responded appropriately and took necessary action to ensure lessons were learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and holds the relevant qualification. The manager ensures children are offered experiences that do not limit their capability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide staff with formal, regular supervision, focused on the needs of the children. They also challenge staff to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of high-quality training. This enables the registered manager to have an overview of the skills and knowledge within the group and identify any deficits, or where a particular member of staff is overdue for a refresher course.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they enjoy working at the home and feel supported by their managers. They say the environment is homely and that children benefit from positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have effective ways of sharing information. Monthly reports detail information that shows others about the children’s experience. Social workers say information from managers is effective and timely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers hold regular team meetings to discuss the needs and progress of the children. However, when significant events occur, staff are not always given the space to speak about their feelings on the culture in the home and share any learning from past experiences. This has affected the consistency of staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842261 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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)) 30 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2842261 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Elizabeth’s Centre

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: South End, Much Hadham SG10 6EW

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2842261 6 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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