Children's home run by 24/7 Support UK Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 1 Registered provider: 24/7 Support UK Limited

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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 privately owned home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since August 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

The acting manager led this inspection, with support from the responsible individual.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home and both children were spoken with.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good 11/04/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home are making positive and meaningful progress. Two children have lived in the home since before the last inspection. This continuity has enabled both children to sustain positive relationships between themselves and staff, feel settled and develop a sense of belonging. As a result, the children benefit from increased emotional security and stability, which supports their ongoing progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children speak positively about living in this home. They are very settled and relaxed. Children are helped to build trusted relationships with the staff. One child said: ‘I really respect the staff, to be fair.’ Children have a laugh and a joke with the staff. The staff use the word ‘love’ when talking about the children and demonstrate this through the genuine way they care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the children very well and respond appropriately when children start to struggle. They communicate effectively with the children, recognising when to use play, humour or when a more formal approach is needed. Children are supported to talk about their feelings and to listen to the feelings of others. As a result, children are becoming more accountable for their actions and are becoming more empathetic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaging well in their independence plans. Children are aware of their future goals and feel that their voices are heard. Independence plans focus on developing practical skills such as cooking, cleaning, shopping and budgeting. Staff also support the children in understanding their emotional and mental health, including how to seek help if they feel emotionally unsafe. These are important skills as they move towards adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is not currently in education. Although appropriate educational provision is being explored and new placements are being sought, staff are not consistently ensuring that the child has a planned and structured day that promotes learning and educational engagement. This lack of consistent routine does not help to build the child’s confidence in education.

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

When children make an allegation, they are listened to, and their concerns are taken seriously. Managers and staff ensure that all allegations are fully investigated, giving children a clear voice and helping them to feel heard. Where appropriate, children are supported to understand the outcome of any investigation in a sensitive and age- appropriate way.

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

One child was subject to a deprivation of liberty (DoL) order. The child has been supported to reduce restrictions permissible under the order. Now risks are managed without the need for the DoL order, which is huge progress for the child. Both children Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 4 are spending time in the community independently and safely. This progress has contributed to an increased sense of pride for the children and has helped to build their self-esteem.

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

Children are demonstrating improved emotional buoyancy and more settled behaviour. Difficult incidents and times of crisis for the children have reduced significantly. This is largely due to the positive relationships they have built with the staff.

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

Meaningful conversations with the children are a strength of this home. Staff use direct work to support the children to understand their world, manage their feelings and recognise risks to help them to keep themselves as safe as possible. Staff also help the children to problem-solve, which supports them in making more informed decisions about their futures.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the risks faced by the children and know how to keep children safer. However, the high volume of risk assessments and some out-of-date information is unhelpful. These documents do not consistently support staff in providing effective, well-informed care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While the registered manager post is currently vacant, an experienced acting manager is in place and supporting the running of the home effectively. The acting manager is supported by a deputy manager and receives regular support and guidance from the home’s responsible individual. Staff speak positively about the support they receive and report feeling valued at work. This contributes to staff satisfaction, which in turn benefits the children. One member of staff said: ‘No matter the time or situation, there is always a manager willing to listen, guide and help.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have a clear understanding of each child’s progress and future plans. There is evidence of strong working relationships with children’s key professionals, including effective joint working between the two children’s placing authorities. Social workers speak very positively about the support children receive in the home, noting that consistency of care is a priority for all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly, with good staff attendance. These meetings include training and guidance to help staff best support the children. Training includes strategies such as the importance of ‘pausing’ to allow time for a response rather than ‘reacting’. This is role modelled to the children and is helping them to manage their own emotions more effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about supervision sessions. These sessions are reflective and focus on the well-being of staff and children. Practice issues are openly addressed, training is identified, and helpful scenarios are given to the staff to help gain an understanding of their knowledge and skills. This creates a learning culture of continued development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 5 The acting manager has monitoring tools in place that identify shortfalls effectively, which are quickly addressed. However, these tools have not highlighted that some children’s plans are not sufficiently child friendly and contain information that may not be helpful to both staff and children. Improvements would ensure that documents written for children remain clear, accessible and useful, particularly if the children decide to read them in later in life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the child is supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education. For example, staff should provide a structured day that includes educational activities. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child. The registered person should also ensure that the arrangements in place to protect children are included in children’s care plans. In particular, risk assessments for children should be concise, up to date and easy for the staff to follow. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies

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Recommendations

on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information in a way that is always helpful to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2638148 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: 24/7 Support UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 81 Broadway, Peterborough PE1 4DA

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Inspector

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2638148 8 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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