Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 1 Registered provider: Resicare Alliance 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 privately run and provides care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in July 2025. The manager did not participate in this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not inspected previously

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There were no children living at the home during the inspection. One child has lived at the home since registration. This child moved out in an unplanned way due to staff’s inability to keep them safe. The child’s experiences and progress were significantly affected by shortfalls in how they were kept safe and cared for by staff and managers. This has resulted in an overall judgement of inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers did not sensitively or effectively manage the child’s move into the home. Staff met with the child prior to them moving in. However, leaders and managers failed to share with staff sufficient information that was known to them in respect of the child’s background information, historical risks and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, leaders and managers failed to provide staff with appropriate guidance in how to care for the child and support strategies. Consequently, staff were unable to provide effective care, and this led to significant safeguarding incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child lived at the home for a very short period. During this time, staff provided inconsistent care and were unable to build positive relationships with the child. Staff lacked the skills and confidence to meet the child’s needs or manage the child’s complex behaviour. Consequently, the child did not settle and was frequently missing from home. As staff were unable to meet the child’s needs and keep them safe the child was placed under police protection. This sequence of events likely caused disruption and trauma for the child and increased the challenge of finding them a suitable alternative home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff supported the child to have regular family time with their parents. Staff played games, such as monopoly, with the child and took them bowling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The house is safe and is decorated to a good standard. The garden is spacious. However, the home since being registered has installed fingerprint locks on all exits of the home to prevent children leaving the home without permission. These curtail children’s freedom of liberty without clear reason. The child’s education and health plans were disrupted by the unplanned move. Although staff from the education team had begun building a relationship with them, the child did not attend the on-site educational provision attached to the home as had originally been planned. Similarly, staff supported the child in attending routine health appointments, but several scheduled appointments were lost due to the child’s unplanned move.

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

Staff were unclear on their roles and responsibilities and, as a result, were unable to keep the child safe. The manager failed to provide important information about the child to staff, such as how community activities were to be introduced and managed. The child went missing from home on several occasions. During these periods of being missing, the child was exposed to significant risks, such as substance misuse and meeting unsafe Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 3 adults. The child was subject to sexual exploitation. The child’s social worker said, ‘[The child remained in placement for only three weeks, and the aims were not achieved due to frequent and escalating missing episodes.’

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

Staff have not had the skills, knowledge or confidence to manage the child’s behaviour safely. Consequently, they failed to prevent incidents from escalating. As a result, the child was placed under police protection to ensure their safety. This sequence of events caused disruption and likely distress and trauma for the child.

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

The manager failed to quickly provide plans and guidance to staff in how to support the child. When plans were later devised, staff did not read the child’s risk assessment and risk management plans. They were unclear of actions to take to keep the child safe, and incidents were not managed effectively. For example, during one incident, when the child was significantly distressed, staff were unclear whether restraint was permissible to prevent the child from running away from the home into a likely dangerous situation. This uncertainty potentially escalated the situation. The child assaulted a staff member and was subsequently placed under police protection as the police deemed it unsafe for them to return to the home.

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

Leaders and managers failed to follow a child’s care plan. After an escalation of missing- from-care episodes, professionals recommended that four staff members support the child. However, on one occasion, only three staff members were present. One of these members of staff was new to working in residential childcare and the home, and supernumerary to the rota. This staffing provided insufficient support to the child during a period of crisis.

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

Leaders and managers do not understand their safeguarding responsibilities. The management oversight of serious and significant incidents is poor. Staff have used physical restraint on occasion to keep the child safe. The rationale recorded for these holds is clear and there are no concerns that the holds were inappropriate. However, leaders and managers failed to complete debriefs with the child to reflect on this situation and support them with their feelings post restraint. Similarly, no debriefs were held with staff to identify any learning. In one instance, the child sustained bruising and complained of injuries following a restraint. The record of this incident was poorly documented, omitting key details such as where the bruising was and the staff involved in the restraint. The manager did not review this incident, take appropriate action to safeguard the child or initiate an investigation. The manager failed to share this

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

information with the child’s social worker and local authority designated officer (LADO) for safeguarding. On another occasion, leaders and managers failed to quickly share information with the LADO, following the suspension of another staff member due to practice concerns.

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

When the child has left the home without permission, staff have followed them and notified social workers and the police. However, the manager failed to request that the child’s local authority conduct independent return home interviews. These are missed opportunities to learn about why and where the child was going missing and to take action to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the shortfalls in leadership and management, the child’s needs were not met, and the child was placed at significant further risk of harm. A failure by management to prepare staff for the child’s move into the home and provide guidance to staff compromised the child’s safety, experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have the skills, experience and knowledge to meet children’s needs. Managers have failed to quickly provide staff with suitable guidance, support and training. Prior to the child moving in, staff had only completed basic online training in Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), despite providing care to the child, who is at extremely high risk of exploitation. Staff were therefore ill equipped to meet the child’s needs and keep them safe. Consequently, the child was regularly missing from home and exposed to further harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers oversight is poor. Managers failed to provide sufficient oversight to oversee staff practice to ensure consistent and safe care for the child. Incidents of restraint were not reviewed, and records lacked the required detail. One was written up some weeks later, after the child left the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers failed to provide staff with adequate support and guidance. The manager did not hold individual supervision with staff to quickly address practice concerns. There is no evidence of reflective discussions with the wider staff team. The home’s electronic database contains only one record of a team meeting since registration. Staff described a meeting with managers, after the child had moved on, at which it was felt that the discussion tended to be blaming staff rather than reflective of what could be done better by all. Staff were unable to recall any lessons learned. Managers have not evaluated the impact of these reflective sessions with staff to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and staff have failed to keep accurate or full records. There are significant errors in the child’s records, such as wrong dates, delays in recording and records missing key information. This limits credibility and factual accuracy of records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to share all details of all significant safeguarding incidents with Ofsted. This undermines Ofsted’s ability to maintain suitable regulatory oversight and ensure that suitable actions are taken to help keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leadership has begun to identify practice concerns and develop plans to improve practice, such as enhancing staff training and promoting collaborative working during child admissions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 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 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

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii)) 19 January 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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 work as a team where appropriate; 19 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 6 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;

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)) 25 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 19 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation.

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(iii)(b) 19 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 8 * These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home does not routinely deprive a child of their liberty without a court order, such as a deprivation of liberty standards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 order. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph, 9.63)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, that they request the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure children’s case records are kept up to date. Case records should be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62,

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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: 2842675 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Resicare Alliance Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 147 Stamford Hill, London N16 5LG

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Yetunde Chiedu-Ajoku

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Inspector

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2842675 10 regulates 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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Inspector

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