Children's Home run by Alfa Care and Protection Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 1 Registered provider: Alfa Care and Protection Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection. The child contributed to the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is being led by a manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted. The registered provider has appointed a new responsible individual.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 23 September 2025

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices were issued following the last inspection alongside a restriction of accommodation notice. At a monitoring visit on 10 November 2025, inspectors judged that the compliance actions had been met. The restriction of accommodation was ended. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/09/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 3

p.2

improvement to be good

The physical presentation of the home does not yet provide a welcoming environment for the child. The overall appearance of the home needs some improvement to make it homely and comfortable. There are good relationships between the child and staff. The child says that she likes the staff. The manager and staff speak positively about the child. An advocate for the child said, ‘[the child] is very happy with the staff and gets on with them well.’

p.3

improvement to be good

The child’s care plan is detailed in some important areas. This includes the child’s previous experiences, wishes and feelings and current difficulties. However, a lot of sections have not been completed. Daily routines, health and education arrangements are missing from the plan. This makes it hard for staff to know how they should be supporting the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

The educational provision for the child remains limited. The child has recently moved to the home. A small amount of online tutoring has been provided but the child’s engagement with this is minimal. The child would prefer education that is face-to-face with a tutor. Staff are not yet creative in encouraging and supporting learning for the child and so this is hampering the child’s progress in this area. This is while more formal educational arrangements are being agreed between agencies.

p.3

improvement to be good

The staff and child have recently started having one to one time. These keywork sessions have not regularly been taking place. Additionally, important conversations between the child and staff have not routinely been recorded so it is difficult to understand what has been discussed.

p.3

improvement to be good

Details of the child’s health needs are limited. These are not recorded in a health plan or as part of the care plan. However, the child is registered with a local doctor, dentist and optician. Arrangements are being made for the child to use a local gym. The manager is working alongside mental health professionals. This is to provide the child with the support they require.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities of the child. These include historic and known risks. There is also a good assessment of any risks in the local area. Actions for staff to mitigate any risks to the child are clearly identified in the child’s relevant plans.

p.3

improvement to be good

Sharp items are kept safely in a locked combination box. This meets the action from a requirement at the previous inspection. However, medication has not always been safely Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 4 stored. This could pose a risk to the child. Therefore, the requirement for this has been repeated.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff respond quickly to incidents of the child trying to harm themselves. Immediate action has been taken in these circumstances. Where necessary medical checks have been undertaken by health professionals to make sure the child is safe and being well cared for.

p.4

improvement to be good

A behaviour support plan for the child is not in place. However, the new manager has identified this and his in the process of completing a relevant behaviour support plan specifically for the child. This will give staff further guidance in managing more challenging behaviour from the child.

p.4

improvement to be good

Records of incidents involving the child have improved. They are more detailed and clearly written. The manager has added oversight to the record. This helps staff to learn from incidents. Staff manage difficult behaviour well and this has meant that staff have not had to physically hold the child to keep the child or themselves safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

The child has access to an advocate. They meet regularly and there is a good relationship between the advocate and child. This provides a channel for the child to raise any concerns and have their views listened to and heard.

p.4

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

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2025. A new manager has recently joined the home. The responsible individual joined the home in October 2025 and is awaiting an interview with Ofsted.

p.4

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

Some of the requirements from the last inspection have been met. However, other statutory requirements are found to not have been met and so repeated.

p.4

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

The responsible individual has responded well to a complaint. This was thoroughly investigated and a good response provided to Ofsted. An additional review was undertaken with clearly recorded outcomes.

p.4

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

A new quality assurance process is now in place. This has been used since the last inspection and is thorough. It is completed by the responsible individual and home manager. This gives the managers better oversight of the care provided.

p.4

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

There is a good programme of training for staff. It includes refreshers in important areas such as behaviour management. However, training in children’s self-injurious behaviour is not currently provided. The manager should also ensure that staff are working towards the level three diploma.

p.4

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

Supervision of staff by a manager is not fully embedded. Staff do not get consistent time with a manager. This means that staff do not have time to regularly reflect on their practice or discuss their wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 5 The new home manager, responsible individual and director are aware of the improvements that still need to be made. They are honest and reflective regarding shortfalls. They aspire to provide good care and protection of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 6

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

Medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring that medication is always stored securely. This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection. 22 January 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring that the child’s care plan is kept under review and amended in line with changes to the child’s circumstances. This includes having sections on education, health, and daily routines. This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection. 28 February 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring that staff have regular one- to-one supervision sessions with a manager or more 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 7 experienced worker and records of sessions are kept. This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to there being no registered manager in position since July 2025. 31 March 2026

p.7

Recommendations

 Where a registered person identifies gaps in qualifications, they should act to ensure relevant units or qualifications are completed in a timely manner at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

p.7

Recommendations

standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 8 for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

p.7

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: 2835073 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alfa Care and Protection Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Flat 60, Newall Court, Bronze Walk, London W12 7HX

p.9

Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2835073 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10