Children's home run by G&S caring for children and young people ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 1 Registered provider: G&S Caring for Children and Young People 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 children’s home is owned by a private provider. It is registered to care for up to 4 children who may experience emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted. She was present for both days of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were 3 children living in the home. All children were spoken to during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 5 February 2025

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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: 2685330 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2025 Full Good 04/03/2024 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is warm, comfortable and homely. Each child has personalised their bedroom to reflect their individuality. The home provides shared spaces for activities such as playing pool, as well as quiet areas for reading or spending time alone. Carers and children also enjoy time together watching movies or playing board games, which helps to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spoken to during the inspection said they are happy living in the home. They enjoy a wide range of activities, including go-karting and badminton. One child said that they wanted to live in the home until they are 18. Another child said they could ‘talk to any of the carers’, which shows they feel supported and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise education and understand its importance for children’s progress and future opportunities. All three children attend education provisions that meet their individual needs. Staff work proactively with schools and other professionals to ensure children receive the right support. When a change of provision is required, staff advocate strongly and act promptly so that children experience continuity in learning and do not fall behind. As a result, children make good progress and develop positive attitudes towards education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought through one-to-one conversations, and staff generally act on what children say. This includes respecting their wishes and feelings about family time and daily routines. For example, when one child wanted to spend time with a range of carers, staff made this happen. Children know who they will be working with and what their day will look like, which helps them feel secure and reduces anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have ensured that most moves into and out of the home are planned where possible. Children usually visit the home before moving in, which helps them to see where they will live and sleep and reduces anxiety. However, on some occasions, planning periods have been too short. This has limited the time available for managers to fully consider children’s needs and vulnerabilities and gather all relevant information.

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

Children said that they felt safe living in the home.

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

Staff understand children’s needs and vulnerabilities, and this is reflected in the records that staff complete. For example, staff complete personalised risk assessments that are regularly reviewed and include clear strategies for managing risks and de-escalation techniques. This means staff know how to respond to each child’s individual needs and behaviours, which helps to keep children safe and reduces the likelihood of incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 4 Physical interventions, when used, are proportionate and brief. Children are offered medical checks and a debrief after each incident, and staff reflect on their practice to learn and improve. Managers oversee all interventions, ensuring that accountability and safeguarding standards are maintained.

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

When children go missing, staff respond in a coordinated way. They follow agreed procedures and liaise promptly with relevant professionals and the police. Children are welcomed back by staff, and most receive a return home interview, which helps to identify risks and reduce future episodes of going missing. Managers reflect on missing incidents and make clear attempts to understand the reasons and prevent recurrence. However, on some occasions, taxis have been used to return children to the home, which is not in line with the therapeutic ethos of the home.

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

Staff take children’s complaints seriously. They speak to children and provide written responses, which helps children feel listened to and respected.

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

Staff generally respond well and appropriately to incidents, which helps to keep children safe in most situations. However, staff do not have a consistent understanding of what constitutes an allegation. On one occasion, an allegation was made against members of the senior leadership team, but senior leaders had not established a clear process for escalating concerns in these circumstances. The process was not sufficiently robust and familial staff relationships have the potential to compromise safeguarding arrangements.

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

Leaders and managers generally have effective quality assurance processes that help to improve children’s experiences and outcomes. They complete in-depth reviews of children’s records to check that plans are clear and progress is monitored. Regular audits give managers a clear understanding of practice strengths and areas for development.

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

Staff receive regular supervision, which is reflective and provides opportunities to discuss the children in the home, their own development and any key issues. These sessions support staff to reflect on their practice and embed specific training, such as adapting Positive Behaviour Support approaches for younger children. The induction processes for new starters are in place and ensure they are well prepared for their role. Training supports carers in their practice and is tailored to meet children’s needs.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have strengthened procedures for safer recruitment. Recruitment now includes all required checks and references, ensuring that staff are safely recruited.

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

There are shortfalls in safeguarding arrangements relating to familial relationships within the management structure. The whistleblowing policy does not reflect these relationships and lacks clarity about how staff can raise concerns or access independent support. Several staff reported being unsure about the process for whistleblowing. This creates a Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 5 risk of closed cultures developing and does not align with the home’s stated ethos and values in its statement of purpose. Managers acknowledged these concerns during the inspection, they took action immediately to improve the process and confirmed that they will further review and update the whistleblowing policy to ensure that staff have clear guidance and confidence in reporting concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 6

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the identification of allegations of harm by children and carers’ responses to them. This also links with management oversight of such allegations and how these are responded to by an independent person. 27 February 2026

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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

promotes their welfare. 27 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 7 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

In particular, this relates to the whistleblowing policy needing to be updated and developing a culture within the home where carers are clear about where a complaint about management can be raised with an independent person or through an independent process.

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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: 2685330 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: G&S Caring for Children and Young People Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 29 Avenue Road, Queniborough, Leicester LE7 3FB

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Inspector

John McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685330 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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