Children's home run by Lavender Grove Cares Ltd

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 1 Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children's home provides care for one child with social and/or emotional difficulties. The home registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager left the home in June 2025. A new manager was appointed and applied to register with Ofsted, but has recently withdrawn their application.

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Information about this children's home

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

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted. The home was subject to a suspension notice at the time of this inspection.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out in response to serious concerns raised with Ofsted and to monitor compliance with a suspension notice, following safeguarding failures at another home operated by the same provider and leadership team.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this inspection, the child no longer lived at the home. The inspector sampled records, spoke with staff and reviewed care planning, risk management and safeguarding arrangements to understand the support and protection the child received while living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The child experienced serious and widespread risks because staff failed to provide safe and effective care. The induction provided to staff before the child moved in was poor and did not equip staff to meet the child's needs safely. Staff lacked the necessary training, skills and experience to implement safe practices. Not all staff had received physical intervention training prior to supporting the child, and Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 2 therapeutic training identified as necessary to meet the child's needs had not been delivered. The manager escalated concerns to directors about staff readiness and lack of training, but these concerns were repeatedly met with inaction.

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This monitoring visit

On 2 occasions, untrained staff used unapproved and unsafe physical interventions with the child, leaving the child at risk of physical and emotional harm. Records did not clearly document the sequence of events or how de-escalation strategies were applied.

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This monitoring visit

Allegations against staff were not consistently investigated, and recommendations designed to safeguard children were not implemented. Delays in reporting to the local authority designated officer and the regulator further compromised the child's safety.

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This monitoring visit

Care planning was insufficient, leaving staff without detailed guidance on the child's background, needs or vulnerabilities. This meant that staff did not have the knowledge or guidance necessary to meet the child's needs or support them appropriately. Discussions with the child were largely unstructured and did not promote learning or opportunities to expand the child's understanding.

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This monitoring visit

Staff supervision was inconsistent and failed to provide effective oversight or guidance. Records of supervision did not evidence discussions about the child's progress or show how staff concerns were addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Leadership and management arrangements lack stability. The manager, who had applied to register with Ofsted, withdrew their application the day before the inspection and now plans to leave the home in May 2026. The responsible individual has also resigned.

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This monitoring visit

The shortfalls identified at this visit demonstrate a systemic failure to protect children and to ensure that staff provide safe and effective care.

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This monitoring visit

The provider is being compliant with the suspension notice.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 3

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff are provided with sufficient information about children's diagnoses, backgrounds, risks and vulnerabilities to fully understand and meet their needs. Staff should also be given clear, individualised care plans that reflect these needs and guide staff on how they should support each child. 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 4 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that all safeguarding concerns and allegations against staff are responded to in line with policy, and that any actions advised by safeguarding professionals are acted upon without delay. 30 April 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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)(c)(h)) 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 5 In particular, the registered person must implement an effective monitoring system to ensure appropriate oversight and regular review of children's records, including serious incidents, and ensure that information is shared with partner agencies in a timely way. Furthermore, staff should have the appropriate training, skills and experience to meet the needs of children, and their training and development needs should be addressed before staff begin supporting children.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 6 are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have meaningful conversations with children to promote positive behaviour and support children's understanding of diversity and equality.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff receive reflective supervision to guide and support their practice in meeting the needs of children. Furthermore, all staff must complete an induction programme that equips them with the knowledge and skills required to support children's needs. 30 April 2026

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Lavender Grove Cares

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Gothic Cottage, Moreton Road, Ongar CM5 0EZ

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Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2733827 8 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 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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