Children's home run by White Lodge Centre in Runnymede

Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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SC013828 Registered provider: White Lodge Centre 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 charity. It provides short-break care for up to 6 children who primarily have physical and/or learning disabilities. A total of 30 children currently access the service. At the time of the inspection, 6 children were staying in the home and one child was on a tea-visit.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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: 3 December 2024

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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: SC013828 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Good 26/02/2024 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from care that is kind and nurturing. Staff know the children well and respond to their needs with warmth, humour and sensitivity. They balance attentive support with giving children space for independence and quiet time. Children show through their behaviour that they are happy in the home, that they feel settled and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s communication needs are well understood. Staff are skilled in recognising children’s non-verbal cues and use a range of tools to enable them to share their views. Pictorial communication systems are used creatively throughout the home to help children to make choices and express how they feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children can access a wide range of enriching activities. They think imaginatively about providing children with meaningful experiences in the community. For example, children took part in a car washing project to raise money for charity. In the home, children have enjoyed animal therapy and a range of sensory play experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are supported well. Staff understand that changes in behaviour can indicate if a child is unwell or distressed. They respond promptly to help children to feel better and they monitor their wellbeing. One child who previously struggled to attend appointments has been helped to overcome their anxieties and attend routine and complex health checks. This is a hugely positive and important achievement for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families speak positively about the care provided to their children. They value the high- quality communication, kindness and attentiveness of staff. Managers work hard to ensure that children have everything that they need for a consistent and settled visit. This provides parents with valued reassurance and reduces their anxieties when children are away from home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home. It is spacious, welcoming and decorated with homely touches. Managers have involved children in choosing how the home is decorated. Communal areas are bright sensory-rich, inviting spaces for play, relaxation or shared activities.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been improvements in safeguarding oversight. Incident records are clear and they are reviewed to identify any follow up actions needed. Learning from incidents is taken seriously and shared across the service to support continuous improvement. Social stories have been developed to help children to talk about occasions when they have been upset. This helps the children to understand their feelings and learn strategies to self-regulate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

Staff know how to keep children safe. They are alert to changes in children’s presentation and respond quickly to reassure or redirect them using interventions individual to each child. As a result, incident levels are low and there have been no restraints since the last inspection.

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

Medication is managed safely. Managers work with the professional team to review how medication influences children’s health and well-being. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of medication for the children. Medication errors have been robustly managed. Following incidents, managers proactively respond to investigate and explore ways to strengthen medication systems. Action taken has included increased staffing, clearer recording processes and additional training.

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

Allegations and whistleblowing concerns are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Learning from each incident is explored and practice is continuously reviewed to ensure that improvements are made. Managers report concerns to relevant safeguarding professionals; they ensure that procedures are followed and that outcomes are clearly communicated. However, Ofsted has not always been made aware of concerns as required by regulation.

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

Restrictions on children’s movement and access are not consistently assessed or recorded. Some restrictions have been implemented without risk assessment or agreement from placing authorities. This means that restrictive practices are not always recognised, justified or reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a highly ambitious manager who continuously strives to provide the best possible care to children. Since the last inspection, they have led a programme of development that has strengthened the quality of care and widened the opportunities available to children. The manager’s commitment to excellence is clear, and they work effectively to ensure that this aspirational culture is shared and embraced by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been substantial investment in the service. Staffing levels have increased and a deputy manager role has been introduced to strengthen monitoring and oversight. New staff have been carefully selected through a robust recruitment process and they have benefited from a thorough induction. This has helped them to feel supported, to build positive relationships with children and feel confident in their role. One staff member described the service as ‘a home from home’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are managed well. The manager is open, transparent and proactive when responding to concerns. They ensure that investigations lead to clear actions and improvements where needed. Parents report being satisfied with outcomes and say that this approach increases their confidence in the service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The wellbeing of children and their families is central to practice. The manager ensures that the services offered are flexible and adapted to give children the best possible opportunities to progress. For example, the service has provided transport to enable a child who previously struggled to attend school to take part in education regularly. This has had a positive impact on their daily routines, social experiences and opportunities for learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents give exceptionally positive feedback about the home. They describe staff as helpful, accommodating and responsive. They say that communication is good and that their views are listened to. Several parents referred to the home as a ‘lifeline’ and commented that it is ‘an amazing place’, offering support that they wish was more widely available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers go above and beyond to make sure that children and families get the help that they need. When one family experienced crisis, managers acted promptly to increase the short-break package, enabling children to stay somewhere familiar and safe. However, for two children whose care arrangements were extended, statutory processes for children in care were not initiated or escalated. This means that the required safeguards and care planning for children were not in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that any decisions to limit a child’s access or movement in any area of the home are only made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review.

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeated requirement. 27 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must work with the local authority to ensure the appropriate care planning procedures are in place for children who exceed the 75 night short breaks limit, and that any delays to children’s plans being in place are challenged.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, without delay, to the appropriate people, including the regulator. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: SC013828 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: White Lodge, Holloway Hill, Lyne, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0FA

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Inspector

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC013828 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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