Children's home run by Sweet Hope House Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 1 Registered provider: Sweet Hope House Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who need support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living at the home. Two children had moved out of the home since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently without a registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out following Ofsted receiving information about significant changes to the directorship and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home has experienced a period of instability since the previous inspection on 27 August 2025. At that time, the management team intended to make operational changes to the home. As a result, the child living there was moved to another home, and the staff team were made redundant. Subsequently, both the interim manager and the responsible individual left the service.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not currently have the required staff team or management arrangements to meet the conditions of its registration. A new director for the company has made clear his intention to recruit to these positions in due course. A 3-month condition has been made by Ofsted while the home is not operational.

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This monitoring visit

The home has undergone some renovations. The living room is now an inviting and comfortable space. Many rooms of the home have been freshly painted. Some efforts are still required to ensure that the home is ready for when children may move into it. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 2 Requirements set at the home’s most recent full inspection were not considered during this visit. These requirements will remain in place and will be reviewed at the home’s next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/07/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 4

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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 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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

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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff complete the correct training to meet children’s identified needs, that children are cared for by a consistent team and that quality assurance and oversight systems are employed by the manager to effectively audit the care in the home and drive improvements. This requirement is restated. 11 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 5 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure they notify Ofsted with a serious incident notification following any incidents deemed significant. This requirement is restated. 11 May 2026

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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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 11 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 6 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

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)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the needs and risks of children are understood and planned for before children move into the home. This also refers to children’s risk assessments being understood and actioned by staff. This requirement is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that no staff work at the home until all required safer recruitment checks have been completed. This also refers to the need for there to be suitably experienced 11 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 7 and qualified staff working at the home. This requirement is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 11 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the manager ensures the statement of purpose is a true reflection of the care offered at the home. This requirement is restated. 11 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 8 The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that a suitable manager is appointed to work at the home. 11 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

An organisation may only carry on a home if—

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Requirement Due date

each director of the organisation, except for a director who is the responsible individual, who is involved in the carrying on of a home by that organisation satisfies the requirements in paragraph (6); and

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Requirement Due date

the organisation has notified HMCI of the name, address and position in the organisation of the responsible individual.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2; 11 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 9 the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual is financially fit to carry on the home.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in paragraphs 1 and 3 to 6 of Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 27 (1) (4)(i)(ii) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (6)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that Ofsted is made aware of all directors involved with the home and that a suitable responsible individual is appointed to work at the home.

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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: 2706369 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sweet Hope House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Woburn Court, 2 Railton Road, Woburn Road Industrial Estate, Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK42 7PN

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Inspectors

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Siobhan Holmes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2706369 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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