Children's home run by Detail Personnel Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 1 Registered provider: Detail Personnel Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager. He was not present during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are currently no children living in the home. Two children have recently moved out suddenly as the provider served notice to local authorities. One of the children did not know they were moving and therefore had no warning or time to prepare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure timely repairs of damage to rooms and furniture. Maintenance is taking place to address these issues. However, bedrooms are not ready for children’s use, and the home environment is not currently fit for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

All children were without education, training or employment. While staff demonstrated the ability to assist children in accessing education, they did not do so consistently. When engagement was achieved, it was sustained only for a short period. Staff did not then provide sufficiently structured days to promote or encourage ongoing learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s care plans are generally well written and detailed. However, they are reviewed monthly, rather than dynamically. This does not align with the rapidly changing needs and vulnerabilities of children living at the home at the time. For example, one child experienced a significant health and life event. Their plans were not updated immediately, and agency staff were unaware of the extent of the child’s physical and emotional needs because of this event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff spend one-to-one time with children, and key-work sessions appropriately focus on important issues, such as building positive relationships, making safe choices and addressing the misuse of substances. However, staff practice is inconsistent, and the support and challenge offered to children following these sessions are not robust. For example, although one child had been spoken with about the dangers of vaping during a key-work session, staff did not reinforce these concerns when the child subsequently vaped openly in front of them. This lack of follow-up is confusing for the child and undermines the intended safeguarding message. It also fails to demonstrate to the child that staff are committed to the boundaries they set and ensuring the child’s welfare and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s time with family members is clearly recorded in their care plan. Staff support children in seeing their family members in line with their plans. This includes when families live a long distance from the home.

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

Children have made many allegations. However, allegations have not been consistently well managed or recorded, and leaders are currently carrying out an audit to assure themselves that all of them are investigated appropriately. To date, there has been at least one occasion when the manager has failed to respond to an allegation or notify Ofsted in line with regulation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 4 When staff have physically held children, they have sometimes failed to document the incidents well. Children and staff have not had the benefit of debriefs following incidents, and management oversight is sporadic and inconsistent in quality. The language used by the manager in their oversight of incidents is blaming. For example, the manager wrote about one child’s behaviour as ‘typical of the ill-informed choices made by [name of child]’. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and risks

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

and poor empathy and leadership by the manager.

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are generally detailed. High-risk concerns are appropriately shared during regular multidisciplinary meetings. However, staff do not consistently follow the de-escalation techniques outlined in these plans. As a result, there have been numerous incidents and physical interventions that could potentially have been avoided had the strategies been implemented as intended.

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

Children have sometimes displayed harmful behaviour. Medical attention is offered when this occurs. However, staff reporting of these incidents is poor and inconsistent. Furthermore, when concerns have risen about staff practice, it is unclear how they have been addressed.

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

There is an assessment of the risks in the local area. This lacks any detail regarding how risks to children are lessened. There is also no consultation with others, such as local police. This limits the learning for staff about known risks to children in the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is currently not working at the home. An interim manager is covering from a home that is in the registration process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have struggled to ensure consistency in staffing at the home. Many staff left the home at the end of 2025, leaving a very low number of permanent staff remaining. Shifts have been covered by supported accommodation staff and agency workers who are not trained to meet the needs of the children they have cared for. One staff member said, ‘We need more staff with an understanding of children’s trauma.’ This has failed to ensure consistency for the children, and, on one occasion, all the staff on shift were from an agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have demonstrated poor and inconsistent oversight. They have not carried out a regulation 45 review of the quality of care, which is now outside required timescales. The workforce development plan is basic and fails to set out how staff will be supported or developed to fulfil their roles. Probationary reviews have not been carried out, and staff supervision sessions have not consistently taken place. This is particularly concerning for new staff. Furthermore, when supervision sessions have taken place, they have not been carried out in line with the home’s policy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 5 The responsible individual has recently carried out more detailed audits and written a more comprehensive home development plan. These plans evidence knowledge of gaps and shortfalls and a cogent plan to meet these needs. However, the impact of this is yet to be seen, and it is still in its infancy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent person carries out monthly visits to the home, and Ofsted receives the reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feel well supported by the responsible individual and interim manager. They feel heard and able to raise any concerns with them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that allegations against staff are reported to Ofsted. 30 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 7 This specifically relates to ensuring that all physical interventions are recorded as such. This includes moving a child from downstairs to upstairs. Furthermore, debriefs must be held with children and staff following all incidents involving the use of physical intervention. The manager must record oversight of all records of physical interventions.

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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

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;

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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

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; and 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 8 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)(d)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that sufficient staff are caring for the children and providing continuity of care. Furthermore, staff must have the skills and experience to meet the children’s needs. The manager must also use systems to monitor the quality of care and make improvements.

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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

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s matching processes are robust. Sufficient notice must be given to the placing local authority when children’s placements end. 30 June 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;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 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

The registered person must— 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 9 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

This specifically relates to ensuring that regulatory timescales are adhered to.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 30 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff receive supervision in line with the provider’s policy of twice a month during probation and once a month afterwards. 30 June 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 10 and well-being. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being, such as vapes, drugs and tobacco. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that is helpful to the

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Recommendations

child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff work closely with the placing authority to support and enable children excluded from education or not on a school roll for any reason to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be helped to sustain or regain their confidence in education and engage in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive and provides appropriate boundaries in relation to children’s behaviour. The home should also meet children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet children’s basic needs in the way

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Recommendations

that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met. This is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for children and value them as individuals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2780238 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Detail Personnel Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 32, 18 High Street, High Wycombe, Hertfordshire HP11 2BE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Henderson

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2780238 12 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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