Children's Home run by First Blue Inspired Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 1 Registered provider: First Blue Inspired 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 home is registered to provide care for up to eight children with learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 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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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: first inspection

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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: 2808471 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a home that provides a calm, nurturing and well maintained environment. The home is situated on four acres of land and surrounded by open farmland, offering a peaceful and rural setting that contributes positively to children’s sense of safety and well-being. Inside, the home is warm, welcoming and decorated to a high standard. Communal areas are comfortable, offering lots of space for children to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are spacious, well furnished and have en suite facilities. They are personalised to reflect individual interests and identity. Bedroom spaces are clean and thoughtfully decorated, demonstrating that staff support children to take pride in their personal space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop a sense of ease and belonging while living here. One child was observed to be relaxed and comfortable in their environment and in their interactions with staff. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children they care for and are familiar with their care plans. This consistency supports children to build trusting relationships and promotes their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to pursue hobbies and take part in local activities. For example, one child attends Cadets weekly and is offered opportunities to participate in additional community-based activities. These experiences help the child to build friendships and develop positive social connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team are committed to supporting children’s family time. They work collaboratively with families and the local authority to ensure that arrangements are safe and prioritised. Staff provide practical and emotional support, including transporting the child to and from family time, which helps maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a planned and child-centred way. The manager took time to understand the child’s needs prior to their arrival and ensured that preparations were tailored to support a positive move. This thoughtful approach helps children to feel welcome, secure and understood from the outset, promoting stability and positive future outcomes.

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

Children are safeguarded effectively by staff who understand their responsibilities and take appropriate action when concerns arise. Allegations are managed in accordance with regulatory requirements, and investigations are completed promptly. Records demonstrate clear and timely communication, and children and staff involved are Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 3 supported throughout the process. This reflects a culture where safeguarding is prioritised.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are in place and regularly reviewed. These documents help staff to understand the children’s needs and potential risks. However, some contain outdated information or do not fully correspond with other plans for the child. In addition, the language used is not consistently child focused. These shortfalls reduce the overall clarity and coherence of risk management information available to staff.

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

Physical intervention is used infrequently, indicating that staff manage behaviour effectively and through positive approaches. When interventions do occur, staff record them, and children are offered the opportunity to express their views. This supports reflective practice. Some records, however, lack detail or are written in a format that is not easily understood by children, which limits the quality of information captured about their experiences.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from care since the home opened. The number of safeguarding incidents is low. This demonstrates that children feel safe and are well supported by consistent routines and trusted relationships.

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

Children know how to make complaints and feel able to raise concerns. Complaints are responded to in a timely manner. However, the written communication shared with children does not always use child-friendly language, which may affect how well children understand the outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about her role and demonstrates a clear commitment to improving the experiences and outcomes of children. She has a good understanding of the children’s needs and leads the team with enthusiasm and care. Recent staffing challenges have required the manager to cover shifts, which has at times reduced her capacity for management oversight. Some shortfalls in practice have not been identified through existing monitoring arrangements, indicating that management oversight is not yet consistently robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has awareness of the staffing pressures and the areas of development required for the manager. This provides an additional layer of scrutiny and support to the leadership of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working here and describe a supportive and encouraging team environment. However, some staff expressed concerns about the need to work additional shifts and the potential impact of unexpected absences. These pressures have the potential to influence staff well-being and resilience. Despite this, the team continues to demonstrate commitment to providing stable care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 4 Feedback from professionals is positive. A social worker described the home as warm and welcoming and highlighted the effective communication from staff, which supports collaborative working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and report that they feel well supported. Structures for support and development are established and contribute to a workforce that is confident in meeting the needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 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, 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring there are adequate staff in place without reliance on working additional hours or managers covering shifts. This also relates to ensuring management oversight is robust with the opportunity to identify gaps in records and care practice. 2 February 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should 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) Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 6  The registered person should ensure staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure records of restraint are kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2808471 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Inspired Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2808471 8 and inspects 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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