Children's Home run by Azalea Care Ltd in Peterborough

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 1

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 5 children with physical or learning disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

At the monitoring visit in February 2026, shortfalls were identified in the leadership and management of the home and a compliance notice was served. The purpose of this visit was to establish the provider’s progress in meeting the steps in the compliance notice. While some progress has been made, several of the compliance steps remain unmet and a further compliance notice has been served.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. There is one child living at the home. The child said that they were happy and enjoy activities with the staff.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have ensured that staff access basic training, giving them essential knowledge and skills for their roles. However, leaders and managers do not have a clear and accurate understanding of children’s learning disabilities and how these manifest. As a result, the review of new referrals has led to unsuitable referrals being given consideration.

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This monitoring visit

Processes have been developed to support managers in ensuring that they have all the necessary information to assess and evaluate new children. These have started to ensure that new children’s needs can be safely met by the staff team and they are compatible with the existing children. Despite this, the responsible individual and the manager reviewed a referral for a child whose needs did not align with the home’s conditions of registration and who was not an appropriate match for the Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 2 child already living there. Although this child’s needs could not have been met at the home, they pursued communication regarding a potential admission.

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This monitoring visit

The managerial oversight of the home is neither consistent nor established. The manager was on leave for an extended period. During this time, an incident occurred involving a physical intervention with a child. This incident had no managerial review to ensure it was necessary and that staff responded appropriately. The lack of managerial oversight could result in unsafe or inappropriate practice going unchallenged. This lack of oversight limits staff’s opportunity for learning and development.

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This monitoring visit

An incident involving the child was recorded by staff however, the incident account was minimal and lacked detail. As a result, the manager did not have a clear understanding of the actions taken by staff or the child’s experience of the incident. The manager failed to identify the poor recording and instead praised staff for their actions. This lack of clarity may allow unsafe practices to go unaddressed, placing the child at risk of harm or distress.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have failed to ensure that hazardous household products are stored safely. The cupboard was left unlocked and open when the child was playing nearby unsupervised. This demonstrates a lapse in basic health and safety practice that could have resulted in harm to the child.

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This monitoring visit

The previous requirements raised at the last inspection were not reviewed and have therefore been reinstated.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/06/2025 Full Inadequate 29/05/2024 Full Good 03/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 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, 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 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 5 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 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

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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(a)(i)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 May 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— 5 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 5 meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(C)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered per- son to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)((a)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that details of any methods used to avoid the need for physical intervention are recorded, who carried out the measure, the details of the measure and that staff and children receive debriefs. 5 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— 5 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 6 are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children's home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all records, especially incident reports, are signed by the author and kept up to date including any updates and outcomes.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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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: 2682522 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tax Assist, Unit 6, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6FT

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Inspector

Sarah Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2682522 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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