Children's home run by The Drive Care Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2844649 1 Registered provider: The Drive Care Homes Ltd

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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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 4 children with learning disabilities. There were 2 children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection since registration on 24 June 2025. The manager was also registered at this time.

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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: 2844649 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appear settled and relaxed in their home environment, and staff interact with them in a natural, calm and nurturing way. The environment is homely and reflective of the children who live there and their needs. Children have access to a range of activities and toys, as well as opportunities for relaxation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have complex health and communication needs. Staff understand these and know the children well. One child has been supported to begin to experience and experiment with foods for the first time with the support of a dietician and is making progress in this area. Another child is improving their use of basic signs, enabling them to have more opportunities to make choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff help the children to maintain relationships with those important to them. They ensure that regular contact takes place and that families are kept up to date with relevant information. The manager is aware of the potential impact of these important contacts for children and advocates for their best interests in maintaining these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was provided with regular support to go to a local barber, which resulted in them being able to manage having their hair cut. The use of individualised social stories has further supported the children’s management of their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Learning in this home is supported, and children are accessing regular education. Professionals report good levels of communication regarding children’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records lack sufficient information in some areas, and there are no clear escalation processes in place to ensure that all of the necessary information is gained as quickly as possible. This has not had any negative impact on the care that the children are receiving; however, it has the potential to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans and risk assessments are detailed. However, these contain a range of duplicate information, and some information is inconsistent. Current documents are not accurate or succinct and have the potential to impact on the day-to-day care that the children are receiving.

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

Safeguarding incidents in this home are rare. When incidents do occur, placing social workers report that there is effective and timely communication and that children are safeguarded. External professionals are confident in the managers’ responses and safeguarding management in general. Staff understand their roles in relation to safeguarding and have received appropriate training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2844649 3 Recruitment processes in the home are robust, helping to ensure that children are cared for by suitable adults.

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

Health and safety aspects of the home are maintained and kept under review; any recommendations made are responded to, with clear action plans put in place.

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

Medication is stored and administered by staff who have been appropriately trained. Additional training has been accessed to support this due to the specific health needs of the children currently living in the home. Some minor shortfalls were identified, including staff’s awareness of potential side effects of medication and the recording of the administration of medication. The manager strengthened these practices during the inspection in response to these findings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified and shows commitment to his ongoing professional development. He knows the children well and is passionate about supporting them to achieve positive outcomes. He is a regular presence in the home, and children engage with him positively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A range of professionals were complimentary about the manager; they have confidence in his practice, stating that effective communication and working relationships are in place. Placing social workers report that children’s challenging behaviours are reducing in response to the home’s approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff unanimously report that they are happy in their roles and feel well supported through regular supervision, training and team meetings. There is effective communication across the team, and staff say that leaders and managers are accessible and available to them. Staff are provided with additional specialist support when needed to support their wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are currently being supported with their communication needs, and while there has been some evidence of children making progress, preferred communication methods are not always clear. There have been missed opportunities for the manager to consult and work with the wider professional team to ensure that children’s communication is being approached in a consistent way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented monitoring systems in the home to support oversight. However, the shortfalls currently identified have been missed, suggesting that the home’s monitoring processes are not fully comprehensive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2844649 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff work in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. In particular, staff should continuously use agreed communication approaches. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children; administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment; and help children to manage long-term conditions and, where necessary, meet specific individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. In particular, staff

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Recommendations

should have access to full necessary medical information for children they are providing care for and understand any potential side effects of the medication that they are administering. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)  The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, ensuring that staff are clear on agreed plans, which must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. In particular, they should ensure that there are clear escalation processes in place to access necessary information and documentation from the placing

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Recommendations

authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2844649 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Drive Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cyrinus House, 18 Hatherley Road, Sidcup DA14 4BG

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Inspector

Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2844649 6 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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