Children's Home run by Hazelmont Social Care LTD in Walsall

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 1 Registered provider: Hazelmont Social Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who have had adverse childhood experiences. At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. They all spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since March 2025.

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Inspection date: 21 January 2026

Date of last inspection: 30 September 2025

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Inspection date: 21 January 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 21 January 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

 Managers and staff have not taken sufficient action to reduce the risk of fire in the home.  The home environment is not well maintained or clean enough.  Staff and managers do not take robust enough action in response to children going missing or when they are thought to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Staff and managers have not received training in relation to children’s individual needs and risks.  Concerns about the oversight and effectiveness of leaders and managers and the stability of the management team.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to make the necessary improvements to the care that children receive. Two requirements raised at the last inspection have therefore been restated and 4 additional requirements have been raised. As a result of this inspection, 2 compliance notices have been issued, in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. One recommendation was not reviewed during this inspection. This has been restated and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of children’s care and safety. This has put children at risk of harm. One child has regularly been smoking in their bedroom. Managers and staff have not taken enough action to disrupt this and to put in place fire prevention strategies. In addition, managers have not taken timely action in response to the home’s fire risk assessment. This does not create a safe environment for children to live in. Leaders have acknowledged these shortfalls and have now taken urgent action to address them.

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Findings from the inspection

The home environment is not well maintained or cleaned in some areas. In one child’s bedroom, furniture was broken and the carpet was dirty. There were holes in some of the walls that have not been repaired. The television in the lounge has been broken for over a year. This does not create an environment where children feel cared for or valued.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers and staff do not always understand or assess risks for children effectively. As a result, one child has not been safeguarded effectively from the risks of substance abuse. The manager has not challenged a drug support agency when identified support has not been provided to the child. This lack of intervention has compromised the child’s safety and wellbeing. Leaders and managers do not consistently notify the regulator when serious incidents take place. This impacts on external scrutiny of the home. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 3 Staff do not always take appropriate action when children go missing. Children’s care and support plans provide some guidance to staff but these do not include all known risks for children. Staff do not always follow the guidance provided and shortfalls in practice are not recognised or addressed by managers. In addition, managers do not ensure prompt and effective communication with external agencies

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Findings from the inspection

when children go missing. This does not ensure that children’s risk of going missing reduces or that effective and prompt action is taken to keep them safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff and managers do not have the required training to meet children’s individual needs or to help them understand children’s individual vulnerabilities. Staff have not been trained to meet children’s specific health needs. This compromises the quality of care children receive.

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Findings from the inspection

The home does not have suitable management arrangements in place. It has not had a registered manager since March 2025. Since then, 4 different managers have overseen the home. This does not provide staff and children with consistency. Leaders have taken action to address other vacancies in the home. This means that the use of agency staff has decreased.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers have taken action to provide staff with more consistent and reflective supervision. As a result, staff say that they feel well supported and that they enjoy working in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff and managers have started to support one child to become more independent. This support is in its early stages and the impact of this could not be fully considered at the inspection. However, the child said they feel this is helping them to prepare for their future.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/02/2025 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 4

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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 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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular: 8 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 5 Leaders must ensure that staff, including managers, have the skills and knowledge to recognise when a child may have been harmed or is at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children.

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Requirement Due date

Staff should be supported to understand children’s needs and vulnerabilities and strategies should be in place to reduce the risk of any harm to the children. These strategies should be clear in children’s plans and evident in practice.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must take immediate and robust action to reduce the significant risk of fire. They must also ensure that staff have the skills and experience to manage the risks of fire in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the home is cleaned and maintained to a good standard.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 8 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 6 research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there is effective monitoring and oversight of the quality of care children receive and take action when needed to bring about improvement.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure that the home has a suitably experienced and consistent manager in place.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that they communicate all significant events and concerns promptly and effectively to the relevant people.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders, managers and staff must have the required experience, skills and knowledge to provide safe and effective care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(c)(d)) 8 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 7 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that appropriate action is taken following fire risk assessments. The registered person should also ensure staff receive suitable training and induction to be able to prevent the risk of fire.

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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;

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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

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they challenge partner agencies when there are delays in children receiving the support that they require.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 8 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the regulator is informed when there are incidents that indicate that a child is at significant risk of child criminal exploitation. 8 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 8 The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 8 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hazelmont Social Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Midlands House, Gipsy Lane, Willenhall, West Midlands WV13 2HA

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Inspector

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2667768 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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