Children's Home run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 1 Registered provider: Kisimul Group 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

The home provides care for up to two children with special educational needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. The inspector spent time with both children and took their views into account as part of the inspection.

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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: 2851720 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a well-presented, warm and welcoming home that is maintained to a good standard. The environment is thoughtfully furnished to minimise any potential risks to children. Each child’s bedroom is personalised to reflect their own style, preferences and needs, providing a sense of identity and comfort. Photos of the children are displayed throughout the home, contributing to an atmosphere that promotes a sense of belonging for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making meaningful progress relative to their individual starting points when moving to the home. Families and professionals consistently commend the progress made by children. Staff understand the importance of supporting children to develop essential life skills. There has been notable advancement in children’s independence, with children now able to complete some tasks independently with reduced staff support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with children’s families to facilitate regular and meaningful family time in line with each child’s care plan. This is a real strength in the home. It ensures that children maintain strong and meaningful connections with their families. Staff demonstrate sensitivity to each child’s background and family circumstances, and families value the consistent support they receive from the manager and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Comprehensive assessments are completed by the manager to ensure that when children are placed together, they are compatible and that their individual needs can be met safely and effectively within the wider group. This careful approach helps to promote positive relationships and stability within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong core group of staff. They have a comprehensive understanding of each child’s individual needs, preferences and personalities. Children benefit from the nurturing and positive relationships with staff. However, during the inspection a child was supported by two new staff members that did not understand the child’s communication system. While a more experienced member of staff prepared the evening meal. On this occasion the deployment of staff had not provided the usual consistency of care to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children receive in-house education, this is a result of children’s difficulties in accessing education due to their individual circumstances. Children are encouraged to engage in home education in the form of worksheets, life-skills work and development. However, there is limited guidance to staff on the content and frequency of education sessions, as a result there is a lack of structure to children’s daily educational routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a variety of activities, both off and on-site. However, opportunities to engage in activities outside the home have been restricted for one child. This is largely due to staff not planning strategies to help the child manage their anxieties about Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 3 leaving the home. As a result, the child has not been offered sufficiently diverse opportunities to build confidence and strengthen their social interactions .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are gathered regularly to ensure they are actively involved in decisions that affect them. Staff use creative approaches to capture their views. This ensures that children can express themselves comfortably. Children have regular conversations with staff, both planned and spontaneous, which further supports open communication. Staff are innovative in their methods of engagement, using tailored strategies including the use of social stories to support children’s learning and understanding of topics that are important to them.

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

Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training to help them keep children safe. They are also trained to meet the specific and often complex needs of the children in their care. Leaders are ambitious about staff development and provide ongoing training and development sessions, including learning from incidents and best practice. This ensures staff remain knowledgeable, skilled and confident in delivering good quality care and support.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are regularly reviewed and updated, including following any incidents of concern. This ensures that documentation remains current and responsive to the changing needs of children. These plans provide thorough guidance for staff on the actions required to support children effectively when concerns arise.

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

There has been a significant reduction in the frequency of children being restrained by staff, and they are clear that this is a last resort. With one child not being restrained in almost 12 months. Staff feel that this can be avoided due to their relationships with the children. When children are held, it is proportionate to the level of risk, and the children are spoken to.

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

The manager has a solid understanding of the importance of robust safer recruitment for new staff coming to work at the home. As a result, only adults who are deemed safe to work with children are employed to work in the home. This means that children’s welfare and protection remain their top priorities.

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

Children have not needed to make formal complaints; however, they are consistently encouraged to share their views about life in the home. Each child has an independent advocate who supports each child to express their views and wishes, raising any concerns or worries on behalf of the children.

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

Medication processes have been strengthened following lessons learnt from the two errors that have occurred. When medication errors have occurred, the manager ensured appropriate action was taken in response. Staff have received extra training and support. This has prevented further errors. Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated manager who has high aspirations for the children. There is effective collaboration between the manager and responsible individual, creating a strong leadership team with a shared vision for the home. Staff report feeling well supported by both the manager and their colleagues. Staff consistently express genuine enjoyment in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains robust oversight of the day-to-day running of the home through regular auditing, review of incidents and direct engagement with children. As a result, the quality of care is closely monitored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She is proactive in implementing changes that benefit the children in her care. When shortfalls are identified, swift and effective action is taken to address them. These developments are regularly shared with the staff team, helping to embed changes in everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive appropriate training to ensure they are well equipped to meet the needs of the children. Both managers and staff actively prioritise ongoing professional development to maintain and enhance the skills and knowledge required to provide high- quality individualised care. Additionally, staff report that they have access to further training as needed, enabling them to stay current with the evolving needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and individual supervision take place regularly, with staff consistently reporting them as valuable. These sessions provide a space for learning, reflection and detailed discussions around safeguarding and the children’s well-being. Staff feel comfortable sharing suggestions and strategies for supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises staff well-being alongside the care of children, offering support and encouragement that make staff feel valued, capable, and committed. Regular recognition and praise foster a positive work environment, while her leadership style and the wider management team’s support ensure staff feel comfortable raising concerns and confident their views are acted upon. This creates a dedicated, confident workforce that consistently delivers good quality care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to managers ensuring that children who do not attend formal education, have structured plans for education everyday within the provision. 12 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that–

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child;

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 12 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, both inside and outside the home (where appropriate), and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure there are sufficient staff that are suitably trained (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children. The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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: 2851720 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Vicarage, 61 High Street, Swinderby, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2851720 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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Inspector

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