Children's Home run by Cherry Lane Therapeutic Homes Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 1 Registered provider: Cherry Lane Therapeutic Homes

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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 owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since the home registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: 2850913 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from care provided by dedicated and nurturing staff who know them well and respond attentively to their individual needs. As a result, children make progress across a range of areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to an independent advocate, giving them a trusted adult outside of the home who ensures their views, wishes and feelings are listened to and represented. Staff also are strong advocates for children including upholding their rights to access education and healthcare. They challenge barriers and work proactively with partner agencies to ensure children receive the support and services to which they are entitled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has been supported to safely explore religion and culture at a level that reflects their understanding. Staff respected the child’s wishes and ensured these were upheld, including supporting their dietary requirements and sourcing a prayer mat to help them practise their faith.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage positively in education. They also encourage the children to take part in a wide variety of on-site and community activities that broaden their experiences and build their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is comfortable and spacious; however, parts of the communal space and a child’s bedroom require repair and redecoration. The lack of personalisation throughout the home means it does not fully reflect the children who live there. This is a missed opportunity to celebrate their identities, experiences, and achievements, and to create a more homely, child centred environment.

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improvement to be good

The manager has a detailed matching process and a clear commitment to meeting the complex needs of the children. However, the pace of the moving in plans has not always allowed existing children sufficient time to settle, build relationships, or feel secure before additional children with similarly complex needs moved in. As a result, the effect on the existing group was not fully considered in practice and contributed to an unplanned ending for one child.

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improvement to be good

There are significant shortfalls in medication practice which have placed children at risk. This includes medication administration records that do not consistently reflect the prescription details on the medication packaging, leading to important dosage instructions being missed and increasing the likelihood of errors. On several occasions, staff have not checked children’s medication administration records before giving medication, resulting in children receiving doses above the recommended amount. For one child, staff failed to recognise that a new prescription superseded a previous one, Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 3 meaning both medications remained available. Although the child did not take either medication, this lack of oversight could have led to them receiving both, contrary to the GP’s advice.

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improvement to be good

Staff are familiar with the home’s safeguarding policy and procedures. Staff promote open and honest conversations with children and support them to understand, manage, and reduce risks both inside and away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when children are missing from home. They collaborate effectively with partner agencies, ensuring that responses are well coordinated, information is shared promptly and plans are reviewed. For one child, this has contributed to a significant reduction in missing-from-home episodes.

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improvement to be good

When risks have increased for children, leaders have taken appropriate action by implementing waking night staff to ensure that children are kept safe overnight. This provides increased oversight and supports a safer environment during periods of increased vulnerability.

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improvement to be good

Although physical intervention is rarely used, staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and the strategies that help to de-escalate situations. This supports a calm and predictable environment for children.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practices are thorough and follow safer recruitment principles. This enables the children to be cared for by adults that are suitably experienced and of good character.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders embed the company’s ethos throughout the home, ensuring that staff understand and apply its values in daily practice. This supports a consistent approach to safeguarding, nurturing relationships and promoting positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers consistently model effective, proactive and collaborative working with professionals. Relationships between the staff, the wider professional network and the children’s parents or family members are clear and mutually supportive. Communication around safeguarding concerns is clear and timely. This has led to excellent partnership working, contributing to positive outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consistently say they well supported by the registered manager, and they enjoy working in the home. Regular supervision, team meetings, and reflective group sessions enhance their professional development and foster a sense of value. Therapeutic input plays a key role in helping staff respond to children’s needs through a trauma-informed lens, promoting safety, trust, and emotional well-being. As a result, staff morale is high. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 4 Staff receive appropriate mandatory and specialist training, tailored to emerging behaviours and risks. This ensures that children are supported by a well-trained staff group that are equipped to deliver safe, trauma-informed care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 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 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— that staff—

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 15 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

This registered provider must ensure that children are administered their medicine as instructed by the prescriber. Any omissions in records should be investigated and action taken to address any shortfalls in children not being administered their medicine. 15 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 6

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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: 2850913 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherry Lane Therapeutic Homes

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Inspectors

Emma Haskell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector (Lead) Gemma Bullen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2850913 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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