Children's Home run by Canterbury Care and Support Limited in Croydon

Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 1 Registered provider: Canterbury Care and Support 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 privately run home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted on 13 April 2022. There has been no registered manager in post since 2 December 2025.

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Information about this children's home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Outstanding 28/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 3

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management have compromised children’s safety and well-being. Despite this, children are making progress in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently ensure that children’s views and wishes are sought. There is a lack of curiosity and initiative in offering activities that reflect children’s interests. This limits opportunities for children to be heard, valued and have a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Children are progressing from their starting points in education. One child who had not been in school for a significant period is now attending school. The child said that they are happy that they are attending school. Staff are committed to promoting the chil- dren’s education, one child that moved into the home since the last inspection has main- tained attendance at school and is making academic progress.

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improvement to be good

Professional feedback is positive. A mentor for one of the children said that staff provide consistent boundaries that support the child to have a routine and re-engage in their learning. The child’s mentor said that this is the happiest they have seen the child since they have lived in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have recently introduced clearer boundaries to support children’s routines and daily behaviour. For example, limiting the use of devices at bedtime helps the children to es- tablish better sleeping routines. These boundaries are contributing to children sense of structure wellbeing and ability to engage in daily activities.

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improvement to be good

Children see their families often. Staff welcome family members when they visit the home. Children said that is important to them that they have regular contact with their families and can see them.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not recorded all incidents involving children; therefore, incident levels appear minimal. Despite the low level of incidents, one child is subject to a high level of supervision without a clear rationale and the child does not understand why this is in place. Poor recording makes it difficult to establish what the children’s needs are and what the appropriate staffing ratios should be. As a result, the child does not understand the expectations, which limits opportunities to for them to make choices and develop independence. Furthermore, staff do not carry out direct work with children to help them learn how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Allegations against staff are not well managed. Recommendations from the local authority designated officer have not been implemented. This means that the provider Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 4 cannot assure themselves that allegations made by children have been thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment checks are not consistently robust. Staff recruitment records do not clearly evidence that all required checks have been completed, including exploration of gaps in employment history, or a clear rationale demonstrating that staff have the appropriate experience and skills for their roles.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection there has been one incident of a child going missing from the home and one incident of a child requiring physical restraint. Staff are appropriately trained in behaviour management, de-escalation and safe restraint techniques. This ensures that interventions are proportionate and only used when necessary.

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improvement to be good

Children said that they feel safe and know who to speak to if they have concerns. They said that they have at least one trusted adult. Children said that they were happy at the home but felt that there were too many new staff. While there has been some instability with staffing this is improving with new staff joining the team.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean, the children said they love their bedrooms and staff help them to keep them tidy. However, they would like their bedrooms to be more personalised with artwork. Leaders and managers have not ensured that the rest of the home is maintained, or that the home’s furnishings are repaired or replaced in a timely way. This issue was raised and the last inspection and remains a concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leadership and management of the home have been unstable. The responsible individual left suddenly. As a result, support arrangements for the previous registered manager who was new in the role, were not in place for a period of time. Consequently, oversight from leaders and managers was not effective. A number of requirements raised at the last inspection have not been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The most recent registered manager resigned in October 2025. A new manager has been appointed and has been in post since November 2025 but has not yet submitted an application to register with Ofsted. The deputy manager resigned in December 2025. At the time of this inspection, the registered provider recently appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has recently been a high turnover of staff. Agency staff have been used to cover for staff shortages. This means that children have sometimes been cared for by staff who they do not know and have not formed relationships with. Recruitment of new staff is happening and is ongoing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff raised concerns that insufficient financial resources were limiting their ability to provide full support and activities for children. Furthermore, children confirmed this. The newly appointed responsible individual is aware of these concerns and has a plan to Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 5 review budgets and ensure that there are adequate resources available to support both staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers’ internal monitoring systems have not been effective. Leaders and managers have not consistently addressed shortfalls in staff practice. For example, children’s records contain minimal information and management oversight is lacking. Certain events are mentioned in records but have not been formally recorded as incidents or addressed by staff. This was raised at the last inspection and the requirement has not been met. The newly appointed responsible individual and manager have plans to address these shortfalls going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision which is recorded. The responsible individual shared a new supervision template that has been introduced to support staff practice better.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff training is regularly completed. This includes face to face training sessions to ensure that staff can support the children and meet their needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 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, 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must carry out direct work with children to help them understand their risks and develop strategies to reduce risks.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.(Regu- lation 6 (1) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home is decorated and maintained to a good standard. That repairs are completed in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which –

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 5 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 7 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff record all work they do with children, and that records are accurate.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated 5 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that children are offered activities, included in decisions in the home and that these are recorded. 5 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment proce- dures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that— 5 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 8 the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the indi- vidual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(a)(b)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure gaps in employment history are explained and explored, supported by a clear rationale for the person’s suitability for the role.

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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: 2652402 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Canterbury Care and Support Limited

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Inspector

Jo Tarbie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2652402 10 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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