Children's home run by ABBI HOUSE LIMITED

Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 1 Registered provider: ABBI HOUSE 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 operated children's home provides care for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children's home

One child was living at the home at the time of 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 good

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good

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

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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: 2781200 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home and spoke to the inspector. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent, nurturing care and demonstrate a clear understanding of the child's needs, routines and communication style. There is a consistent staff team, and this has supported the child to develop trusting and caring relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has not been in formal education. This is not a fault of the staff, who have advocated in the child's best interest. The child attends sessions with a tutor and follows a routine that makes them feel safe and secure. A new education provision has been identified, and staff are supporting the child to prepare for this transition. This will help the child to manage this big change to their life and promotes emotional stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable the child to participate in a range of activities in line with their hobbies and interests. They go swimming, visit skate parks, soft play and arcades. Staff understand the child's individual needs and provide support in the community, which has meant the child is increasingly able to enjoy activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of the child spending time with their family. They facilitate this time with practical support and encourage family to visit where the child lives. A parent said, 'He [the child] is thriving and making a lot of progress.' However, although this was identified as an area for development at the last inspection, the home has still not developed a clear written plan to guide staff and the child around the agreed arrangements. This has not had a negative impact on the child but does create the potential for inconsistencies in how family time is promoted and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the child benefits from a warm and well-resourced environment. All aspects of the home are clean, tidy and equipped to meet the child's needs. However, some areas of signage detract from a homely and domestic environment.

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

Staff and managers understand the child's needs. The manager is proactive in seeking input from relevant professionals to inform care planning and practice. This joined up approach helps staff to anticipate situations that may cause the child distress. As a result, incidents have reduced in frequency and intensity, and the child is experiencing greater stability and emotional security.

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

On occasion, staff have been unable to divert the child from behaviours that place them at risk of harm. In these situations, staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep the child safe. Following any incident, staff speak with the child to help them reflect Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 4 on what has happened and to understand their feelings. The manager supports the child to share their views, and this information is used to inform future care planning.

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

The manager ensures that when recruiting new staff, safer recruitment practices are employed. This helps to assure leaders that they have safe adults working in their home.

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

Staff ensure that regular health and safety checks and audits are carried out to provide a safe and well-maintained environment for the child. This oversight helps to reduce potential hazards and provides children with a home that is physically safe.

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

The manager ensures that risk assessments are clear, detailed and provide staff with practical guidance to promote the child's safety. The manager has employed strategies to ensure that the child is safe when online. However, these risks have not been documented. This means that staff do not yet have clear, written guidance to support a consistent approach to online safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child focused and committed to the child she cares for and her staff team. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from her and describe a pleasant environment to work in, where they are listened to and feel valued. This promotes a well-supported and motivated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and provide a forum for staff to reflect on practice, share information and discuss the child's progress. Additional training and expertise are often sourced for these meetings and delivered to promote a well-informed and skilled workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates effectively for the child and challenges other professionals when necessary to promote their best interests. When there was a delay in securing a suitable school placement, the manager escalated concerns appropriately. Once a school was identified but deemed unsuitable, this was robustly challenged to ensure that the child's needs were properly considered. The manager has also sought the support of an independent advocate when there was a slow response to a request for a specialist assessment. This demonstrates a proactive approach to securing the right support for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems to maintain oversight of the service and promote positive outcomes for the child. The child's progress and outcomes are tracked, supporting leaders to understand the child's development and inform future planning. A consultant specialist also contributes to monitoring and review processes, providing specialist insight to further strengthen evaluation of children's needs and the effectiveness of support provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff receive appropriate supervision. Staff say that they find these opportunities useful. Tasks are assigned by the manager in these sessions to support the staff in developing their understanding of regulation and guidance. However, Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 5 not all staff who undertake supervision have had this training, which could compromise the quality. Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 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, 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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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

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child's parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child's relevant plans.(Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a clear plan in place for staff to follow in regard to time spent by children with their families, and that children's access to the internet is part of a documented and agreed plan. In addition, where children's bedrooms have been adapted to meet a specific need, ensure that this is regularly reviewed so that it remains in children's best interest. 2 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure children's homes are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 7 of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2781200 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 11 Grosvenor house, St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1RB

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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2781200 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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