Children's home run by St Elizabeth’s Centre

Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 1 Registered provider: St. Elizabeth’s Centre

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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 provides care for up to six children with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in June 2025, and this was the home’s first inspection. The current manager has been in post since the home was registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a larger centre that includes six other children’s homes that are also registered with Ofsted and an on-site school and college.

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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: 2842248 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, five children lived in the home. Although this was the home’s first inspection, all children have lived here for over a year, with one child residing for around seven years, as the home was previously part of a larger registered setting. Inspectors met all the children and observed positive, nurturing relationships between staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a high standard of care and support that helps them flourish. All children have made progress from their starting points. Staff take time to build trusting relationships with children, which inspectors observed to be attentive and respectful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents gave positive feedback. One parent said staff consistently support and work extremely well with their child and always promote family time. They were pleased that staff encouraged their child to learn new skills, such as riding a tricycle, which also improved his coordination.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and support children’s education. All children receive full-time education. The provider also operates a specialist school and college within the larger site. Children benefit from good links between care and education teams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and well-being needs are met effectively. The home specialises in supporting children with complex epilepsy. On-site health professionals, including a nursing team, provide additional advice and care input. For example, staff managed a recent change in diabetes medication effectively, ensuring all staff were trained to use specialist equipment. Administration of medication is well managed, and when an error occurred, measures were implemented to prevent recurrence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have additional communication needs, and some children are non-verbal. Staff use a range of communication methods, including cards and symbols, to help children express their wishes. Children’s meetings take place regularly and include relevant topics, such as Black History Month.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is purpose-built for children with disabilities but retains a homely feel. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and personalised, with each child’s name hand-painted on their door. The home offers a wide range of toys and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences are positive, and children enjoy access to sensory rooms, outdoor spaces and play equipment across the centre. Children are also supported to take part in off-site activities or trips into the wider community, although these are infrequent. Without regular chances to visit a range of external activities and locations, children may feel isolated from the wider community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 3

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

Children are safeguarded effectively. Staff understand children’s complex care and health needs. Child-focused care plans and individualised risk assessments are comprehensive, regularly reviewed and developed with specialist professionals.

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

Staff implement strategies to de-escalate and manage emotions. Consistent routines and boundaries are followed to help children feel secure, and staff know children’s risks and behavioural triggers and how to respond. Incidents are infrequent and well recorded when they occur. Leaders provide oversight and feedback for improvements. Staff discuss incidents with children in ways suited to their communication needs.

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

Key-work sessions are recorded, including those focused on wishes and feelings or activities that have been completed. This demonstrates staff’s engagement and responsiveness.

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

Children do not go missing. Physical intervention is rare and only used when necessary and proportionate. Other risks, such as self-harm or unsafe device use, are unlikely, but staff and managers can explain how they would respond if these risks arose.

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

Health and safety arrangements are robust. Fire drills, both planned and unplanned, occur regularly. Fire risk assessments raise no concerns, and all children have personal emergency evacuation plans.

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

Staff work proactively with multi-disciplinary teams, including occupational therapists, to ensure that equipment is provided that meets each child’s needs. This includes the provision of moving and handling equipment, mobility aids and adapted beds. Specialist equipment is well maintained, and monitoring devices are used appropriately with consent.

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

Targets and goals are identified to help children build life skills and independence. However, these goals are not reviewed regularly, and there is limited evidence that staff consistently support children to achieve them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who demonstrates commitment to children and staff. The manager is dual registered, but as both homes are on the same site, this does not impact day-to-day oversight. A capable deputy supports the manager, and they work well together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Relationships between the manager, deputy and senior leaders are positive. Leaders have high aspirations for the home and show genuine care for children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 4 Staff report feeling consistently supported by leaders and managers. They describe the manager as approachable and a source of strength. Staff have opportunities to share views, raise concerns and contribute to the home’s operation. Supervision takes place regularly, and staff speak positively about this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals provided positive feedback about children’s care and staff support. All professionals spoken to felt children were well cared for, and they spoke positively about leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment and induction processes are robust. Staff access a wide range of training, which is both online and face to face, including specialist courses on epilepsy and diabetes, tailored to children’s needs. Staff said they value this training and feel it enhances their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Written records are generally of a good standard. Documents are well written and child focused. Weekly updates are detailed and sent to relevant professionals and families. The manager maintains good oversight through effective monitoring and auditing. However, some key documents were missing, including a care order and delegated authority agreement. Leaders must ensure that all essential documents are on file.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been submitted to the regulator since re- registration. Leaders must ensure that this document is accurate and submitted as required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is kept up to date and reflects the home’s registration certificate. 30 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that care meets children’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account of the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. In particular, staff should identify targets or goals which help children’s progress and development. These should be reviewed and monitored regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, both inside and outside of the home, and children are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in school trips, out-of-school and other clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31,

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Recommendations

paragraph 6.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 6  The registered person should ensure that they ‘seek to involve’ the placing authority that places a looked-after child in the home, which in practice means working primarily with their statutory social worker. Not all children in homes are looked-after children, but for these children too, a close working relationship is essential with those with parental responsibility. In particular, records which outline key responsibilities, such as court orders and delegated authority forms, should be on file and readily available to staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5)

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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: 2842248 7

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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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Inspectors

Daniel Rankin, Social Care Inspector Thembie Mzila, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2842248 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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