Children's home run by The Senad Group Limited in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 1 SC358046 Registered provider: The Senad 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

This home is privately operated and there is a school on the same site. The home provides care for up to 32 children with autism, acquired brain injury and communication difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Most children living in the home return to their family home for the school holidays. At the time of this inspection, three children were registered to stay at the home, although only one child was accessing the residential provision. The inspectors spent time with the child and took their views into account as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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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: 17 September 2024

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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: SC358046 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2024 Full Good 18/07/2023 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/05/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to form positive relationships with children, who value the staff and the care they provide. Children feel able to approach staff and ask for help. Staff are nurturing in their approach and patient with the children. As a result, children have formed safe and positive relationships, which have supported their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by dedicated staff who are keen for them to have positive life experiences. Children are being supported to develop their life skills every day and make good progress. Staff recognise and celebrate children’s significant achievements, such as developing their independent living skills, increased education attendance and their social skills. Some children’s progress fluctuates, but staff quickly identify this and adjust their support to the child. This helps children to make continuous progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-thought-out transition plans give children every opportunity to have a positive start when moving into or on from this home. The manager gathers information to develop the team’s understanding of the children’s needs. The suitability of children living together is fully considered. Consulting children already living at the home about the arrival of a new child fosters a sense of ownership and belonging, making it feel more like their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education. Staff support this progress through being aspirational for children and advocating for them effectively. They scaffold learning outside the school environment, providing lots of opportunities for informal learning and developing life skills, alongside their formal education, which provides the encouragement that a conscientious parent would give.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining links with their family. Staff make every effort to ensure that children see people who are important to them. This includes supporting children to repair relationships that have become fractured with significant people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to flourish and have created a supportive environment where they can explore their own sense of identity without fear or shame. Children know their wishes are heard and respected. By listening and creating a safe, open space, staff help children feel understood and confident in expressing who they are

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

Staff are confident about their safeguarding responsibilities towards the children, including whistleblowing. Staff have multiple opportunities to speak up about any concerns. This includes formal meetings such as supervision and team meetings. Managers work alongside staff members supporting the children, which provides opportunity for the monitoring of staff competence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 4 The team has a good knowledge and understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities and how past experiences impact each child individually. Children’s risk assessments and plans provide clarity and direction for staff. When there is an incident of concern, the manager and staff reflect on the plans and assessments, adjusting these if required. Care plans are subject to regular updating, so they accurately reflect children’s risks and vulnerabilities. These plans provide staff with the direction they need to support and

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

Staff support children with managing their feelings and emotions. When children are upset, staff provide them with comfort and reassurance. This helps to defuse and reduce potential incidents.

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

The use of physical intervention is infrequent and is generally employed only as a last resort. However, on occasions when physical intervention has occurred, records have not consistently provided clear or complete information about the techniques used. In addition, management oversight and timely debriefing with staff have not always taken place. There has been insufficient clarity regarding the specific techniques applied and the duration of interventions.

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

Multi-agency working is a strength of the home. The manager works closely with a wide range of professionals, ensuring that children’s escalating risks, including incidents of self-harm and exploitation, are quickly identified. The manager took swift action in response, including making specialist referrals, having regular meetings with the team around each child, and creating tailored protocols and safety plans to ensure that appropriate safeguarding measures were maintained. This demonstrates a proactive and well-coordinated approach to protecting the children.

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

Managers respond to any allegations against staff in accordance with guidance. Records of investigations show a thorough approach to managing concerns. Managers work with safeguarding partners to ensure that all allegations are shared and that investigations have been carried out, which has allowed for conclusions to be drawn and learning to be identified.

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

Complaints are well managed, demonstrating a thorough, transparent and child-centred approach. Concerns are acknowledged promptly, investigated objectively and documented clearly, ensuring that all parties are kept informed throughout the process. This ensures that outcomes are communicated and actions are taken to prevent recurrence and to improve relationships between all parties.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has led the home through a difficult period. This has included the deterioration of one child’s behaviour, requiring notice to be served on their placement. Leaders and managers made the difficult decision to identify when the home was not the best placement for a child. They recognised the impact on the safety of the child and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 5 The management team is passionate about providing children with care and nurture. Managers have created a culture of safe and caring relationships, which has filtered through the staff team. Managers lead an enthusiastic and motivated staff team. The manager is held in high regard by staff and other professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive well-structured training that is tailored to the individual needs of the children. This has included trauma-informed training and sensory intervention training. All staff are either qualified or actively working towards their required qualifications. This focus on learning and development enhances staff knowledge, skills and the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from ongoing support, reflective supervision and constant guidance from managers. This is further strengthened through team meetings and reflective practice sessions with the in-house therapy team. Staff can share their views openly and feel that their views are listened to and respected. There is an ethos of teamwork and supporting each other to meet the evolving needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work in partnership with relevant agencies. This collaborative working means that children have professionals who strive to provide good care. Parents provided positive feedback about the care and support provided to their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers complete regular audits. However, the new electronic recording system has hindered management oversight and not enabled the management team to identify inaccuracies in records relating to physical interventions. This has resulted in distorted information being shared with professionals and consequently hinders the evaluation of this information and the action they may take. Leaders and managers have taken action to rectify this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 6

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that there is consistent recording of information relating to children in all files.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must embed monitoring and review systems to ensure effective oversight of records made. 9 February 2026

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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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; 9 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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 or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that records of restraint are completed accurately and that children and staff are spoken to about the measure.

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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: SC358046 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Senad Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 St George’s House, Vernon Gate, Derby DE1 1UQ

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC358046 9 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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Inspectors

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