Children's home run by Ametis Homes

Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 1 Registered provider: Ametis Homes

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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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager have been registered with Ofsted since April 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has lived at the home since it opened. The child experienced consistent and purposeful care. They have since moved on and no children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals said that the child speaks positively about the home. Staff built strong and trusting relationships with the child. Parents and professionals said that the child was happy in the home and that they valued relationships with staff. This shows that the child felt secure and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff used planned conservations to explore the child’s wishes and feelings. Staff completed a detailed ‘All about me’ document to guide care. This ensured staff understood the child’s needs and responded in a child-focused way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promoted the child’s time with their family. They supported the child to spend increased time with them, including having Christmas at the family home. This strengthened family relationships and supported the child’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported the child to improve their engagement in education and with mental health services. The child was more involved in their education and participated in their learning with their tutor more consistently than before they moved in. The child also engaged with therapeutic support services for the first time. Professionals noted the child was, due to the help of staff, able to show improved tolerance and safer responses in relationships with male staff. This progress helped the child build trust and developed healthier relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the longer term, staff were unable to meet the child’s mental health and wellbeing needs. However, they worked with partner professionals to get the child the help they needed. Staff helped the child to better understand and manage their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before the child moved in, staff worked closely with external professionals to plan the move. The process of the child moving into the home was sensitively managed and staff supported the child to settle. However, the manager’s assessment of the suitability of the home to meet the child’s needs did not fully explore the child’s needs and identify aspects of potential risks. The assessment did not consider whether staff had the experience and skills to meet the child’s needs. As a result, the staff were unable to meet the child’s needs long term. Managers gave notice to end the placement while the child was in hospital for a month. Staff supported the child to move to another home.

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

Staff protected the child and managed risk effectively while the child lived at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 3 When difficult situations occurred in the home, staff managed these appropriately. Staff understood known risks to the child, including self-harm and ligature use. Staff responded calmly and used de-escalation strategies when the child showed signs of distress. Leaders and managers ensured that the child’s risk assessments were clear, detailed and regularly reviewed. Staff used them in daily practice. This provided structure and consistency.

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

There have been no missing-from-home incidents since the home opened. Staff used physical intervention on 2 occasions. These were both necessary and proportionate to keep the child safe. Staff are suitably trained to use physical interventions and they followed approved techniques. The manager had discussions with staff and the child after each incident. The manager had appropriate oversight of the incidents to ensure the child was safe and well supported. These discussions also supported staff learning and reflection.

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

On the one occasion the child made a complaint, staff followed the complaints procedure. The manager ensured the complaint was investigated and the child was updated once the process ended. This showed the child that their concerns were taken seriously and acted on.

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

The manager is supported by the deputy manager and the responsible individual. There have been periods when the manager has been absent. The responsible individual has quickly stepped in, supporting the deputy manager to maintain daily management oversight. However, leaders and managers have not consistently ensured systems are robust and effective.

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

Monitoring and reviewing systems are not consistently strong enough. Some incident reports lack clarity and coherence. Incident records are not always fully evaluated. Managerial oversight does not always identify patterns, learning or areas for improvement. The child’s care plans contain relevant information but do not consistently include clear, measurable targets. As a result, there is limited evaluation of progress against specific outcomes. This reduces clear evidence of impact and makes it harder to demonstrate sustained progress.

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

Leaders and managers did not ensure that the child’s needs and risks were fully known before they moved into the home. The suitability assessment lacked depth and professional curiosity. The assessment did not consider how staff’s skills, experiences and training matched the child’s identified needs, or the potential impact on the child of moving to a different setting. Consequently, the child’s behaviours escalated and risks increased. As a result, the home gave notice on the child’s placement. Leaders and managers recognised at that stage that they could not meet the child’s needs. This highlighted weaknesses in the original assessment of the home’s suitability to meet the child’s needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 4 Leaders and managers ensure that staff benefit from regular structured supervision and suitable training. Staff said that they feel supported and valued. This helps create a safe

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

and stable team. Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 5

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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 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

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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that monitoring and review systems are robust and effective and that incident reports are accurate, coherent and subject to meaningful managerial oversight which identifies learning and drives improvement in practice. 13 April 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that suitability assessments are thorough so that managers understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for any other children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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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: 2844456 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Library St Faiths Street Maidstone KENT ME14 1LH

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Inspector

Thembie Mzila, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2844456 7 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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