Children's Home run by Caring Feathers Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 1 Registered provider: Caring Feathers Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 4 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection. The child was spoken to as part of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered. The registered manager, who registered with Ofsted in September 2025, was not present for the inspection. The responsible individual joined the inspection virtually for both days.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have carefully captured the child’s identity and personality in records, recognising and celebrating the aspects of life that are important to the child and what makes them unique. As a result, the child feels listened to, recognised and valued as an individual, which supports their sense of identity and emotional wellbeing.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are clearly identified in their plans and are well supported by staff. Staff have completed training to strengthen their understanding of the child’s specific needs, including dyslexia and attachment-related needs. This means that the child receives informed and responsive care that supports their health and emotional wellbeing.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive and thoughtful in supporting the child to feel safe enough to rejoin school. They have used a range of educational activities, both within and outside of the home, and have developed a good understanding of the barriers that previously prevented the child from accessing education. This understanding has been used to plan initial sessions with a tutor and creative mentor, which has helped the child to build confidence. This learning is now being used to support the child’s return to a school setting.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have introduced a planned period of settling in and observation before considering any further children moving into the home. This enables staff to focus on building relationships with the child and developing a thorough understanding of their needs. The manager intends to use the insights gained during this period to inform any future planning around children moving into the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained, clean and decorated to a good standard. The child has been supported to personalise their living space. However, several rooms are kept locked without a clear safeguarding rationale. The manager recognises that the home is not fully accessible to the child and that this practice is restrictive and limits the child’s access to their home. It is also likely to reduce how homely and welcoming the environment feels for children. Managers accepted this during the inspection, and plans are now in place to change this practice.

p.2

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

Staff spend regular, purposeful time with the child. These sessions include well-planned educational work on key safeguarding areas, such as child criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation and vaping. They use a range of accessible tools and resources, including materials from the NSPCC, to ensure the child can understand and engage with the information. As a result of this focused and Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 3 consistent work, the child’s awareness of risks has increased, and there has been a measurable reduction in some identified risks, including a decrease in vaping.

p.2

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

When the child has gone missing from the home, staff have demonstrated a clear understanding of the required protocols. On the child’s return, staff have responded with care and concern for the child and shown curiosity to understand why the child went missing and where they have been. The child’s views are considered as part of ongoing risk assessment, enabling staff to adapt their responses and support the child’s sense of belonging in the home. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in missing incidents since the child moved in.

p.3

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

Staff have developed strategies alongside the child to support their emotional wellbeing. Overall, these strategies have been effective in reducing the frequency of self-injurious behaviour. The child has shared that they feel supported by staff and that they no longer feel the same frequency of need to harm themselves since living in the home. This demonstrates that staff provide supportive care that helps the child manage distress more safely.

p.3

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

A physical hold used by the manager and staff was not proportionate. Although this was recorded as an attempt to prevent self-injury, there was insufficient evidence to justify the level of intervention used. Relevant protocols for responding to self-injurious behaviour and for the use of physical intervention were not followed. Staff did not consider how the location of the hold could connect with the child’s earlier life experiences and potentially retraumatise them.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working in the home and say that they feel well supported by the manager through regular supervision and team meetings. These are well attended and provide opportunities to reflect on practice and recognise good work. This contributes to stability within the team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Child-specific training has been provided to the staff team. Where staff have not been up to date with required training, this has been identified and addressed by the manager. Some staff reported that online training is less beneficial to their learning than face-to-face sessions. In response, managers have implemented a blended approach that combines online and in-person training to better meet the varied learning needs of the team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have successfully recruited to vacant posts. Safer recruitment processes are followed, and there is a thorough induction programme for all new staff. This includes oversight and evaluation by both the manager and staff member to ensure that expectations and learning needs are clearly understood.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight of record-keeping, risk assessments and measures intended to keep the child safe is not consistently sufficient or effective. Inaccurate records have been approved by the manager, and in one case, the child’s current level of risk Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 4 is unclear. Staff use different systems to record monitoring checks of the child’s devices, and the actions taken by the manager to address this inconsistency have not been consistently effective. During monthly audits, the manager recorded this issue as resolved when this was not the case. This increases the risk that safeguarding information is unclear or inaccurate, which may affect staff’s ability to consistently protect the child from harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 5

p.3

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.5

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

p.5

Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

p.5

Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

p.5

Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 3 February

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(f)(h))

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, just as in a family home, children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access should only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home should only be 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. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 3.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 7

p.6

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: 2818061 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caring Feathers LTD

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 4b, The Park Estate, Bury Park Road Luton LU1 1EN

p.8

Inspector

Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2818061 9 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9