Children's home run by Honeycomb Care Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 1 Registered provider: Honeycomb Care Homes Ltd

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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 home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 4 February 2025

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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: 2774861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 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. They spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living there. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection. The child has lived at the home for over a year and reports that they feel settled and happy living there. This stability is supporting the child in making positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and child centred. It is thoughtfully decorated, including seasonal decorations, which contributes positively to the child’s sense of belonging. Staff are creative in ensuring that the environment is visually engaging and child friendly. The child benefits from access to a games room and a safe space tent with sensory lighting, as well as shared activities with staff such as bike riding, which they enjoy. This strengthens relationships between staff and the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, the child was not in formal education. However, this was due to factors beyond the control of staff. In the interim, the child is engaging well with in-house tuition and being helped to have a structured routine, which will support their transition to a school when this is put in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made notable progress in relation to their emotional wellbeing. As a result of a period of stability, support from staff and the input of specialist mental health services, the child is increasingly able to regulate their emotions and manage periods of distress. This has reduced the need for more restrictive or intensive interventions and enabled the child to maintain their placement successfully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from enriching experiences that provide positive childhood memories including holidays and planned seasonal activities. The child also attends a local community group, which supports their social development and independence.

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

There have been two occasions where the child has gone missing from the home. On both occasions, staff responded promptly and in line with agreed risk management plans. Staff acted proactively to locate the child, working appropriately with partner agencies, which meant that the period during which the child’s whereabouts were unknown was minimal. On the child’s return, appropriate action was taken, including requesting a return home interview. This supports learning from incidents and contributes to effective ongoing risk management.

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

Staff receive training in the home’s therapeutic model of care and consistently use this to inform planned sessional work with the child. This reflective and structured approach has supported the child to have an improved understanding of their emotions and to learn Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 4 safer, more effective coping strategies. In particular, sessional work focuses on reducing risk-taking behaviours by helping the child identify safer strategies.

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

The child is helped by staff to stay safe online. Appropriate parental controls are in place for online devices, and staff actively monitor online activity in line with agreed plans and respond promptly to concerns when they arise. Educational work supports the child’s learning about online risks and supports them in developing safer digital habits.

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

This inspection was brought forward after Ofsted received concerns from a third-party raising concern for the child’s welfare during a specific incident. Review of the information available did not identify evidence to substantiate the concerns raised. During the incident, staff followed the appropriate safeguarding procedures.

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

Leaders have not ensured that care plans relating to known risks consistently provide staff with clear and detailed guidance about how incidents should be managed. As a result, staff have not consistently responded to incidents in line with the home’s model of care.

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

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left, and a new manager has been appointed. There has also been a high level of staff turnover. This has affected the consistency of some aspects of leadership and management oversight. The new manager has begun to take action to stabilise the staff team and strengthen systems in the home. While this is helping to continually improve direct practice and the review of incidents, some risk assessments do not consistently provide staff with sufficiently clear and detailed guidance about how incidents can be pre-empted, avoided or managed. In addition, while most safer recruitment checks are completed diligently, the exploration of gaps in employment history for new applicants is not consistently robust.

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

When a complaint has been made, leaders have taken appropriate steps to investigate the concern. However, leaders have not ensured that follow-up actions have been monitored effectively or completed in a timely way.

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

Staff have received appropriate mandatory training in relation to childrens individual needs. However, due to staff turnover, few current staff have had specialist training previously identified as necessary to meet some of the child’s specific needs. Consequently, leaders and managers have used team meetings and supervision effectively to share knowledge and support staff to plan for and respond to the child’s needs. As a result, staff largely understand the child’s needs and provide tailored care.

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

Staff speak positively about working at the home and demonstrate a strong commitment to the child. They describe feeling happy and supported in their roles. This contributes to a positive working culture and will support stability within the staff team as the home moves forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 5 Staff, managers and leaders, communicate effectively with external professionals. Leaders and staff have demonstrated exceptionally strong advocacy on behalf of the child, working persistently with the local authority and challenging delays appropriately. One professional explained that they receive regular updates including a weekly report about the child’s progress. This effective information-sharing supports collaborative working and a coordinated approach to the child’s needs.

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

Staff receive regular supervision and report that this is helpful in supporting their practice and professional development. Supervision provides staff with opportunities to reflect on their work and discuss any concerns. In addition, team meetings are held regularly, and records are well maintained. Relevant matters are discussed, supporting clear communication and consistency of practice across the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d)) 12 January 2026

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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

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(e)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans contain information to guide staff in their responses around self-harm, that all staff receive 9 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 7 training in line with children’s needs, and that action is taken to improve workforce stability. In addition, ensure that when complaints are made actions identified by managers are completed.

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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: 2774861 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Honeycomb Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 85 Wakerley Road, Leicester LE5 6AR

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Joshua Taylor-Williams

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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2774861 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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