Children's Home run by Williams Welfare Limited in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 1 Registered provider: Williams Welfare Limited

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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 privately run home provides care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2024.

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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: 9 December 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 and 10 December 2025. Ofsted served 2 compliance notices regarding the help and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. A monitoring visit took place in January 2026, and the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2025 Full Inadequate 10/04/2024 Full Good 06/06/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, the home has made slow, measured progress. The new interim manager has begun to introduce changes. Children generally experience positive relationships with staff, although this is inconsistent. Some staff lack the confidence, skills and the professional curiosity needed to manage and respond to incidents. As a result, children are not making sufficient progress. Fire safety arrangements are not robust. The shortfalls identified in help and protection, and the leadership and management of the home have affected the children’s overall experiences. This has resulted in an overall judgement of ‘requires improvement to be good’.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. One child contributed to the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff try to promote children’s education plans. However, this is not consistent or effective. Staff understand the barriers children face and work with educational providers to overcome them. However, children are not receiving the coordinated help they need to make steady educational progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive and caring interactions. Staff are relaxed and there is lots of laughter in the home and a playful atmosphere. Staff celebrate children’s achievements with ‘wow’ moments and achievement certificates that are displayed in the children’s bedrooms.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer opportunities to children based on their hobbies and interests. Children benefit from a wide range of activities. These experiences are celebrated through photos which are shared with families and professionals through regular updates. As a result, children build self-esteem and feel part of the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff support family time and recognise the importance of maintaining family connections. Parents say they are kept well informed and communication from the home is much better. One parent said: ‘The new manager always has time for me, and we work well together.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 4

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improvement to be good

Staff responses to the children are variable, and some staff struggle to set and maintain clear boundaries. As a result, expectations are not consistently applied, and children do not always experience the structure and stability they need to feel safe and settled. Security within the home does not always support the safety of children from avoidable risks. Two fire extinguishers and the fire blanket were not housed in the correct position and were not accessible for use. This means children could be placed at risk of harm in the event of a fire. During the inspection, the manager took steps to remedy this. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that fire equipment is always accessible.

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improvement to be good

Recordings are not consistently written in a child-friendly manner. Although improvements have been made since the last inspection, staff continue to use language in records that is not child-friendly.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans are regularly updated and are child-focused. However, systems are not yet in place to ensure that staff have read and understood the most recent changes. As a result, staff are not fully aware of the current or changing risks, which limits their ability to respond consistently and keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Missing-from home incidents are managed well. Leaders recognised a recent increase in missing-from-home episodes and have responded promptly, ensuring that all relevant parties are kept updated. Professionals say that since the new interim manager has taken up post, communication and oversight have improved.

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

A suitably qualified and experienced manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024. The registered manager has been away from the home on extended leave since May 2025. A new interim manager has been in post since January 2026 and has made an application to register with Ofsted. The interim manager led the inspection.

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

Leaders and managers have not yet established a consistent model of practice. Staff do not always have the knowledge or confidence to deliver effective interventions. As a result, children experience variability in the quality of support they receive. Leaders have begun to address these gaps and have planned targeted training, but improvements are not yet embedded.

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

Since taking up post, the interim manager has started to establish changes to recording systems and processes. However, these changes are still in their early stages and have not yet been fully tested. Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 5 The interim manager has high expectations for the service. She knows the children well and has quickly developed a strong understanding of their individual needs. She has begun to identify patterns and trends of behaviours, which has resulted in children being referred to specialist services that can help to meet their emerging needs.

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

Staff report that managers are available and supportive and that staff value this style of leadership. Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision sessions and team meetings are more child-focused and support development. Staff say that the interim manager is highly supportive and approachable. Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 6

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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—

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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

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

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 located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that fire extinguishers and fire blankets remain accessible at all times.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)(c)(d)) 1 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 7 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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

(Regulation 13 (1) (2)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 1 June 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2643709 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Williams Welfare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 81 Mount Pleasant, Ruislip HA4 9HQ

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Inspector

Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2643709 9 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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