Children's Home run by Young Options Group Ltd in Surrey

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 1 Registered provider: Young Options Group 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 run by a private provider. The home provides care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager in the home since 8 March 2024.

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Information about this children's home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children's home

Enforcement action since last inspection: On 19 December 2025, the provider was issued with a compliance notice due to their failure to appoint a registered man- ager for a considerable period.

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have 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: 2737107 2

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Findings from the inspection

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

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Findings from the inspection

There continues to be no registered manager at the home. Additionally, the responsible individual has failed to maintain appropriate oversight of the management of the home. This includes failing to ensure that previous requirements have been addressed, that staff have the skills and experience needed to deliver safe and effective care, and that the home is being maintained in a way that promotes the welfare of the child who lives at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and staff have failed to ensure that the home, including the child’s bedroom is appropriately maintained and cleaned. As a result, the home is not welcoming and presents with avoidable hazards. This shortfall was identified at the last inspection, and the conditions have not shown sustained improvements since then.

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Findings from the inspection

The child who lives in the home is not adequately safeguarded due to the significant lack of leadership oversight and intervention. Leaders have failed to ensure that staff know and understand how to effectively implement the child’s safety plans. This is because leaders have not provided staff with the necessary training, ongoing support and guidance needed to develop essential skills for identifying and managing risks.

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Findings from the inspection

The insufficiency in staff training not only hinders the ability of staff to recognise warning signs but also limits their capacity to take timely and appropriate actions to protect the child's welfare. As a result, the overall safety and well-being of the child remain compromised.

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Findings from the inspection

The significant shortfalls identified have a direct negative impact on the child’s routines and safety, and their overall progress is compromised. The combination of weak safeguarding arrangements, poor oversight, unreliable records and inconsistent staff competency means that the child does not receive care that is stable, predictable or responsive to their needs. The environment does not promote dignity or comfort, and the child is not provided with the level of protection or support required to ensure their well-being.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders have failed to maintain accurate, up to date and accessible records. Key documents are incomplete, inconsistent or not readily available to staff. This compromises continuity of care and the ability of staff to make informed decisions in children’s best interests. Monitoring systems are ineffective and fail to identify or address practice shortfalls in a timely manner.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff supervision is ineffective. Although some staff receive supervision, it is not con- sistently provided by a suitable, skilled and experienced person. Supervision lacks fo- cus on safeguarding, reflective practice and the needs of children. This limits staff de- velopment and fails to support safe and effective practice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 3 Staff training does not adequately equip staff with the knowledge and skills required to meet the specific and complex needs of the child living in the home. Mandatory and specialist training is either outdated or not completed, increasing the risk of un- safe care.

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Findings from the inspection

Recording and monitoring systems are ineffective. Leaders lack sufficient oversight of the home, resulting in shortfalls not being identified or addressed. The quality of care provided is not effectively reviewed, and findings identified do not help to improve staff practice. Consequently, the child’s care and experiences have not improved. Ad- ditionally, the quality-of-care review had not been sent to Ofsted as required. This means that leaders have failed to demonstrate that they understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This limits their ability to make meaningful change and necessary improvements.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite the significant concerns identified at this inspection, some aspects of the child’s care are positive. For example, staff support the child to maintain important relationships and have enabled them to re-engage in education. Staff have implemented effective strategies to support the child to attend health appointments that they previously found difficult to engage with. However, these isolated strengths do not mitigate the significant concerns identified during the inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Requirements raised at the last inspection have not been met. Consequently, these requirements are restated. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 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, 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—

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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; and 08 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 6 that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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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 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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h)) 08 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees —

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive practice-related supervision on a regular basis by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 08 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 7 The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

placement plans for children who are not looked after (see regulation 18);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for safeguarding children (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for preventing bullying (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the missing child policy (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the behaviour management policy (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

children's case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

the procedure for considering complaints (see regulation 39); records of complaints (see regulation 39);

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Requirement Due date

the independent person's reports (see regulation 44);

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Requirement Due date

quality of care reviews (see regulation 45);

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Requirement Due date

annual reviews of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home's premises (see regulation 46). (Regulation 38 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)(m)(n)(o)) 08 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

The quality of care provided for children; 08 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 8 the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

* The appointment of manager standard is that 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.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— 12 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 9 the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Young Options Group Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX

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Inspectors

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2737107 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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