Children's home run by Ellie Divine Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 1 Registered provider: Ellie Divine 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 is privately operated. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025. This was the home’s first inspection. The manager voluntary cancelled their registration and was due to leave shortly after this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children have lived at the home since it was registered. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with the child.

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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.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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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: 2822814 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Serious failures in the leadership and management of the home have resulted in the overall experiences and progress of children being judged as inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

On two separate occasions, children moved into the home when there was minimal staff to care for them. This has negatively impacted on children’s care and experiences. Since registering with Ofsted, staff have left and recruitment activities have not been timely to address vacancies. This includes the recruitment of a new manager after the registered manager gave their notice to leave only days after the home was registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Both children who moved into the home have had their time there ended prematurely. The first child left the home because staff could not meet their needs. Notice for the second child has been given as there is not enough staff to care for them. This instability and poor care planning undermines children’s progress and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff encourage children to engage in education. However, one child was informed of the prospect of an apprenticeship before any additional information had been explored. When staff were unable to proceed with arranging the apprenticeship, this affected the trust the child had for the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is generally well decorated and maintained. However, there were very few festive decorations in the home at the time of the inspection in preparation for Christmas celebrations. Staff were not given funding by the provider to decorate the home despite repeat requests. This demonstrates a poor organisational culture that negatively effects children’s experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff ensure that children are registered with local health services. However, support for children with their health needs is mixed. For example, when a child complained of toothache it is not clear if and how this was followed up, and whether the child was encouraged to attend the dentist. This does not help children develop skills to meet their own health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager prepares for children moving to the home by discussing their needs with staff and members of the care team. Children are given information to help them learn about the home before they move in. However, this preparation work is undermined by the absence of sufficient numbers of staff to care for children.

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

Staff do not have the experience or skills to meet children’s needs safely. When serious incidents occur, staff responses to de-escalate unwanted behaviours and repair relationships are not always effective. Following one incident, a child was arrested, and Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 3 managers gave notice to the local authority. This led to the child moving on from the home in an abrupt and unplanned way.

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

Records of incidents are mostly detailed and describe the actions taken by staff. However, incidents when the manager has been involved lack additional senior manager oversight or scrutiny. This prevents objective evaluation of incidents and staff do not always reflect and learn from their actions when needed to improve children’s experiences.

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

Bedroom searches are appropriately carried out by staff, when there are concerns for a child’s safety. However, it is not clear what follow up action is taken by staff when concerning items are found. This shortfall limits opportunities for staff to understand more about what is happening for children and to review safety planning for and with each child.

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

Some positive practice was identified in that staff focus on rewarding the positive choices that children make. This has enabled one child to start to build relationships with staff and is helping them to better understand the effect that their behaviour has on themselves and others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager submitted notice to the provider a few days after registration, that he would be leaving the organisation. Leaders have failed to take sufficient action to recruit a replacement manager. This has led to the management and staffing arrangements for the home being untenable. Professionals placing children at the home have lost confidence in the provider as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has not ensured that the home has sufficient finances available to meet the needs of children. Managers brought this to the provider’s attention and emergency arrangements were put in place to minimise the direct effect on the child. However, such poor arrangements do not demonstrate child-centred organisational management or ongoing financial viability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and remaining staff have been committed to supporting the child until the child moves on from the home. However, this has meant that some staff work significantly long hours. This practice places additional pressure on an already depleted team and cannot be sustained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have received some practice-related supervisions. However, low staffing has led to planned supervision sessions not happening. Important conversations with some staff members have not been held as a result. This limits the manager's ability to address matters related to staff practice and does not help staff to be effective or cope with the demands of their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place and allow the manager to pass on information to the team. Staff raise important points in team meetings, such as low staff morale and concerns Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 4 about consistent approaches to support children’s needs. However, there is no evidence to indicate that these matters have been addressed by leaders and managers to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 30 January 2026

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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. 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 6 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))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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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

understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(2)(a)(ix)) 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must carry on the children's home in such manner as is likely to ensure that the home will be financially viable for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. (Regulation 47) (1)) 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 7

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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: 2822814 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ellie Divine Limited

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Inspector

Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822814 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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