Children's home run by Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 1 Registered provider: Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. The child spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since June 2025 and registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child continues to live in the home. No children have moved in or out since the last visit, indicating stability. This suggests the child feels secure and settled, benefiting from established routines and a consistent environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, spacious and welcoming. It is well furnished and decorated to a high standard. Minor repairs and replacements are addressed promptly, ensuring high- quality care is maintained. The child’s interests are prominently displayed throughout the home, with photos of the child having fun and being happy, reflecting an individualised approach that promotes a sense of belonging and acceptance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys various activities, including roller skating, ice skating, arts and crafts, and playing games. These activities are easily accessible and planned accordingly. The child also particularly enjoys car journeys to local places of interest in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the child’s physical health needs are currently being met. All necessary specialist referrals or treatments are underway to determine what is in the child’s best interests. In addition to the in-house therapist, who delivers tailored weekly sessions with the child, specialist agencies also contribute targeted support, creating a multi-agency approach to address the child’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff display a close and nurturing approach underpinned by a PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) therapeutic model of care. This enables the child to develop close and reliable relationships with the staff to help build a strong, safe base for therapeutic care and support interventions. Staff are creating and maintaining a memory book of photos of key times and provide the child with a daily positive affirmation of each day, which is written down and demonstrates the therapeutic approach to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child in engaging with their education, helping them achieve their potential. Progress has been made when, after a significant period away from education, the child was able to gain qualifications. When challenges arise in meeting the child’s individual needs, managers and staff advocate for alternative or specialist provisions that align with the child’s abilities and interests. The child’s educational needs are addressed through an education, health and care plan (EHC plan).

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s cultural and ethnic identity is well supported and embedded into the home’s daily and care planning. This demonstrates a strength of the home, reflecting a child-centred and respectful approach that prioritises the child’s individuality. Meal planning, traditions and celebrations are child-centred, with the child’s preferred wishes and feelings validated and sought on a regular and consistent basis. This means the child’s sense of being understood and respected is also strengthened. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 4

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

Staff may use physical interventions to keep both the child and themselves safe. These interventions are employed only as a last resort, and all staff receive training in the appropriate techniques and specialist resources before employment. The registered manager monitors these incidents to analyse trends and patterns, identifying factors or indicators to have more in-depth oversight of these incidents. The manager’s oversight of these incidents is not always consistent or regular, and this is an area of improvement to strengthen governance and provide timely up-to-date information for practice.

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

During the inspection cycle, allegations made against staff were managed appropriately. Leadership followed all safeguarding procedures and consulted relevant professionals. Following the outcome of the investigations, planned and supervised repair work was undertaken between the child and the staff member to restore the professional relationship.

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

To keep the child and others safe, the child is supported by proportionate restrictions and a higher staff-to-child ratio. This is backed by a clear legal process to ensure it serves the child’s best interests and that all measures are necessary. As a result, the child faces some restrictions in daily life. The manager does not always have immediate access to the latest legal order authorising restrictions for the child. This is vital for informing the child’s care and safety plans. The manager has acknowledged this oversight, and the most current order is now in place at the home. This will be reviewed regularly by leadership.

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

Staff have actively strengthened online safeguarding by recently updating their digital monitoring system. This ensures the child can access the internet safely, and appropriate filters and oversight are in place to restrict access to harmful or inappropriate material or content. This demonstrates a commitment to ensuring a secure environment in all areas of the child’s life and keeping them safe in the digital world.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new registered manager and deputy manager have been appointed. They work well together and are dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for the child. This new leadership brings stability and helps form a consistent staffing team. It ensures continuity and consistency of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they enjoy working at the home and feel part of a team. They report that communication is good and management is supportive. They also believe the child is making good progress since arriving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff go through an induction period and complete mandatory and child-specific training. They have the relevant qualifications when needed. However, tracking of all Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 5 training, including refresher courses, is not always updated. This is important so that managers can ensure all staff meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child has practical inputs from staff around developing independence, life skills and daily living, which are relevant to adulthood. However, there is no formal statutory pathway plan or equivalent adult social care plan in place. This lack of a plan is a priority for the leadership at the home to pursue with the child’s placing authority to ensure a robust, timely plan is agreed that will meet the child’s needs upon leaving care soon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly report from the independent person often omits feedback from the child, external professionals and parents. Key information about incidents sometimes lacks clarity and facts. There is also uncertainty about whether the visits were planned or unannounced. This lack of clarity and information reduces their effectiveness in offering strong external scrutiny and challenge to the home’s practice. The home’s leadership is aware that this is an area for improvement. They are actively addressing the quality and content of the independent visitor’s reports in their improvement planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This also specifically relates to ensuring these monitoring reports are received promptly by HMCI. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have up-to-date training to meet each child’s individual needs, and the home’s training matrix is kept up to date. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that their internal monitoring systems are robust and effective. This specifically relates to ensuring the home’s statement of purpose is up to date with the care that will be provided to the children. In addition, the

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Recommendations

registered person should ensure that the manager has clear oversight of each physical intervention incident and that monitoring of all incidents is consistent and recorded. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that where there is a deprivation of liberty order authorised by the Court, that the home always has the most recent order available. The registered manager will ensure they comply with the restrictions stated on the order and that all staff and managers are fully aware of the said restrictions, which are deemed necessary by the court. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.63)

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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: 2778266 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ashwood Children’s Care Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: G43a Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Burton-On-Trent, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jonathan Cammiss

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Inspector

Gill Rudkin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2778266 8 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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