Children's Home run by St Elizabeth’s Centre in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 1 Registered provider: St Elizabeth’s Centre Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a large charitable organisation that provides care for up to 6 children and young people aged 5 to 19 years with complex needs, autism, epilepsy and associated special educational needs and/or physical disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Children and young people attend the on-site school and sixth form. The inspector only inspected the children’s home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home was previously registered. This is the home’s first inspection under new registration. The previous registered manager left in December 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spent time with the children living at the home. No children have moved into the home since registration. Staff carefully planned and supported one child’s successful move on to an adult provision.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a homely, comfortable well-decorated home. The children have all the necessary equipment to safely support their mobility. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to a high standard, reflecting their individual tastes and preferences.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the children with personalised care that meets their individual needs. A wide range of health professionals are integrated into the children’s day-to-day care and care planning.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to maintain meaningful time with their families. They facilitate family visits and drive the children to see their families. This ensures that children can spend regular time with the people who are important to them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable children to enjoy various activities and experiences, including visits to theatres, animal sanctuaries and theme parks. Staff ensure that children’s disabilities are not a barrier to them enjoying a wide range of experiences.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in developing a greater understanding about the world around them. Staff help them make good progress in school, with some children successfully transitioning to sixth form.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support to help children improve their independence, mobility and self-care skills. This empowers children and ensures that they can reach their full potential.

p.2

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

The staff know the children well. They recognise when children are distressed and act to support them. They are aware of potential triggers of distress and put measures in place to prevent them. This helps soothe children and prevents escalation in behaviour. Consequently, there have been no physical interventions since the home registered.

p.2

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

Staff understand their key safeguarding responsibilities and additional vulnerabilities disabled children face. They know how to raise any concerns about practice, and they advocate for children effectively. Managers take swift and decisive action in response to any concerns and ensure that robust safeguarding measures are in place. On one occasion, staff failed to report a safeguarding concern quickly to the manager. Once aware of the concern, managers took appropriate action to safeguard children. They Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 3 investigated promptly to understand the underlying causes for delay and took effective steps to ensure that staff understand their responsibilities moving forward.

p.2

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

Staff provide high-quality care for children with highly complex needs and life-limiting conditions. Managers ensure that staff are fully aware of, and follow, clear protocols to keep children safe and help maintain their optimal health.

p.3

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

Risk assessments and care plans are comprehensive and provide up-to-date information. This ensures that staff have clear guidance to support children safely and effectively.

p.3

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

There were a series of medication errors, which could have negatively impacted children’s wellbeing. However, the new manager, supported by 2 new deputy managers, has provided staff with additional training and implemented new systems to strengthen practice. However, these improvements are recent and have yet to fully embed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is newly appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. They are also the registered manager for another home on the same site. This provides suitable and consistent leadership across the provision.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with partner professionals and parents to ensure that children have the help and support they need. Parents note that communication with them has recently improved significantly.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has invested in staff support and development. The frequent and well- attended team meetings provide a forum to develop staff practice. Recent initiatives, such as the staff away day, have improved internal communication and strengthened professional relationships in the wider team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a variety of suitable training. All staff have received the training they need to meet the complex needs of the children effectively.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since registration, there have been shortfalls in leadership and management oversight, which has affected the support staff receive and on occasion the care the children have experienced. There were significant gaps in the frequency and quality of staff supervision. Consequently, some staff missed opportunities to reflect on their practice and improve their professional approach. When staff raised concerns regarding workplace culture and a lack of mutual respect, the issues were not resolved. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 4

p.3

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.

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.4

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(h)) 30 April 2026

p.4

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))) 30 April 2026

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive regular supervision that allows them to reflect on and respond to how their feelings and behaviour may be influenced Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 5 by the behaviour of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

p.4

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: 2842253 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Elizabeth’s Centre

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: South End, Much Hadham SG10 6EW

p.6

Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2842253 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7