Children's Home run by Radiant Care Homes Limited in Wokingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 1 Registered provider: Radiant Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2025 and is owned and operated by a small private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties, as well as potentially associated learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2025. He is also a registered manager for another home owned by the organisation in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 2

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improvement to be good

Children are making progress at the home due to the positive relationships they have with staff. They appear happy and confident in the home and say that they like it there. Social workers say that children are making progress and that the staff team pays particular attention to their cultural and identity needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s one-to-one sessions with staff are reactive and not pre-planned. This means there is no formal approach or consistency in messages to children or demonstration of how staff are helping them work towards goals and targets specified in their local authority plans.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to spend time with family members and other people who are important to them. This helps children maintain relationships and their cultural identity, as well as celebrate events and observe religious practices. One child spent time with family friends while observing Ramadan. However, records and staff’s understanding of these people’s relationships to the child are unclear, with them being referred to as ‘family members’ when they are not. This potentially places the child at risk of harm through the assumption that these are known and trusted adults to the child.

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improvement to be good

Children generally attend school, and at least one child has made significant progress by attending every day after being out of education for a significant period. Staff consistently encourage another child, who struggles with attendance, to remain in the local area while he is at school to reduce the risk of him trying to access family members who live close by. Children who are not in education are encouraged to engage in activities that help them learn or develop new skills, such as independence skills, including budgeting and meal planning.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to engage in enjoyable activities. Due to children’s age and specific needs, they do not always wish to engage. However, activities such as go- karting, drawing and playing games are firm favourites.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health and emotional needs are supported through routine appointments. When needed, access to specialists, such as sexual health nurses and emotional wellbeing professionals, is requested. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and are encouraged to engage in physical activities, such as going to the gym.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s individual vulnerabilities. They have mostly effective strategies in place to help keep children safe. However, the strategies are not clearly set out in the children’s individual risk assessments and plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 3 Additionally, staff have various views on children’s supervision and support needs while away from the home.

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improvement to be good

External fire exits are locked with keys. The rationale for locking the doors is not fully in keeping with legislation and guidance. On at least 3 occasions during the inspection, staff did not have access to the keys to open the doors. This is a significant safety risk should there be a fire, as children and staff would be unable to leave the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms have been personalised according to their preferences. However, this contrasts with the communal areas of the home. The lounges and hallways are sparse and not as welcoming, and paintwork requires cleaning. The sink in the downstairs toilet is cracked. Therefore, it does not provide a sense of warmth and homeliness for the children.

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improvement to be good

Children show they feel safe with the staff and express any worries and concerns they may have. Staff know how to respond if they are concerned about a child’s safety or welfare, and they are confident in the organisation’s approach to reporting safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

Children who are missing from home benefit from a coordinated approach by the staff team. This includes following them and encouraging them to return home, remaining in contact with them via telephone. When children’s whereabouts are unknown, staff notify the police and other safeguarding professionals. Children are helped to understand the increased risks when staff do not know their whereabouts. When there are concerns linked to exploitation, they are reported appropriately to the police and partner agencies.

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

The members of the management team are new to their roles and inexperienced in the inspection process. This has led to gaps in their understanding of processes, such as the use and purpose of an Annex A (an information-gathering tool), experience and understanding of the inspection process, and the procedure for reporting safeguarding incidents, including follow-up reports and how they should be shared with Ofsted. Additionally, they did not have easy access to necessary information, and there were inconsistencies in information shared verbally and in written records. However, the registered manager is eager to learn and get things right.

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

The home’s statement of purpose is not fully reflective of its ethos and staff’s approach. Staff are inconsistent in their understanding of the ethos and therapeutic approach described in the statement of purpose, and they could not confirm whether they have received the relevant training. Training records indicate that the staff have received training in the therapeutic approach and ethos; however, this knowledge is not fully integrated into their practice or understanding.

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

The registered manager makes use of monitoring to evaluate the home and practices, including using the independent visitor as a critical friend. However, reports produced by the independent visitor do not always contain the level of evaluation and detail required Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 4 to aid the manager in making improvements to the home and enhancing children’s experiences effectively.

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

The staff report being well supported by the registered manager and feeling heard and valued. They benefit from regular supervision, and they consider team meetings beneficial and reflective opportunities to ensure that they work consistently together and support each other. Staff believe they have the training they require to meet children’s needs, including those who have worked with children with different needs in the past.

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

Joint working with partner agencies is positive and has led to the formulation of approaches to support children. Social workers are positive about the links and communication with the managers and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 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 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;

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans are clear, accurate, consistent and easily accessible. 30 April 2026

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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; 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 6 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the environment is well maintained and decorated.

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is always suitable and easy access to emergency exits. 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

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; 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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;

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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)(c)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the necessary training, skills and understanding to implement the home’s ethos and therapeutic approach, as detailed in its statement of purpose. Additionally, ensure that managers understand processes linked to inspection activity and reporting scheduled and notifiable events to Ofsted.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the independent visitor reports demonstrate evaluation and oversight of practice in the home. 30 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand and know how to implement the training they have received. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, and paragraph 10.1)  The registered person should ensure that individual sessions carried out with children help them develop knowledge and skills and meet targets agreed in their statutory documents and reviews. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, and paragraph 11.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 8

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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: 2850191 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Radiant Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: W02, Howard Road, Stanmore HA7 1FW

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2850191 10 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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