Children's Home run by Willow Family Care Ltd in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 1 Registered provider: Willow Family Care Ltd 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 October 2025 and is owned and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 2 children who experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since October 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

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

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 2

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from caring relationships with staff who know them well. Since moving into the home, children have made progress in their development of social skills and are beginning to engage in education. Children are encouraged to try new things and are having positive experiences inside and outside the home.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and needs. They are proactive in identifying and sharing information when they feel that children are at risk of harm. Staff manage concerns in relation to exploitation, substance misuse, mental health and missing from home skilfully, and children receive timely responses. However, there are shortfalls in the oversight of incidents and safeguarding concerns. Leaders and managers have failed to implement procedures effectively for managing allegations and overseeing restraint practice. Procedures remain unclear, as there is not a clear process for staff or leaders to follow when concerns arise in relation to senior leaders.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences of moving into the home. When distance or time has not supported visits to the home, leaders have taken time to carry out virtual tours and speak with children about what they can expect. Managers and staff take time to speak with professionals and previous carers to explore children’s needs, interests and preferences before their arrival. As a result, children settle into the home quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships are informed and guided, using a consistent therapeutic model to help children remain at the centre of practice. Children have positive relationships with the adults supporting them. A calm and empathetic approach is used to help children discuss their experiences and provide them the tools to name their feelings. As a result, children are learning to express themselves in positive ways, and incidents have reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education. Managers work closely with the virtual school and placing authority to identify the right education provision for children. Staff share information with school staff in relation to the children’s support needs and any gaps they have identified in their skills and knowledge. This ensures that children’s educational needs are understood and considered in their education planning. Children are encouraged to take part in tutoring and other activities in preparation for returning to full-time education provisions. As a result, children who have not previously engaged in education are improving their attendance and engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming, clean and brightly decorated. There are a range of child-friendly and age-appropriate resources for children. Children have been involved in selecting resources and furnishings for the home and garden, supporting a sense of ownership and belonging in their home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 3 Managers are proactive in ensuring that all relevant plans are in place. On arrival, children’s placement plans are created, which outline the support they need to see family, friends and people who are important to them. However, lack of clarity in placement planning and guidance for staff results in inconsistent communication with parents. As a result, parents do not feel as informed and involved in their children’s care as they would like, and opportunities are missed to enhance positive partnership working.

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improvement to be good

Children’s vulnerabilities and needs are understood. Staff are proactive in identifying signs that children may be at risk of exploitation or harm. When concerns outside the home are noted, they are recorded and promptly shared with police, social workers and other relevant agencies. Children have clear safety plans that guide staff’s responses and interventions. These are proportionate and subject to regular review.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff respond swiftly to locate them and support their return. Children are encouraged to talk to independent people about their episodes of going missing. A nurturing approach is used to support them in settling back into the home. New information is considered, incorporated into safety plans and shared with staff to ensure that everyone knows how to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Physical restraint is rarely used. There has been only one incident when restraint has been used, and it was a proportionate response necessary to keep the child and others safe. Staff use a range of de-escalation strategies to avoid using physical intervention. However, the staff member involved in the incident did not have the required up-to-date restraint training. Managers failed to speak to the user of the measure within 48 hours, and their discussion with the child did not seek and explore their views on the intervention used.

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improvement to be good

Managers have been unable to identify what should be managed as a complaint and what should be considered an allegation. Because a child’s concern was not identified as an allegation, it was not appropriately referred to the relevant external safeguarding agency. This removed a necessary level of scrutiny to ensure that concerns are independently reviewed and undermined any effective investigation to explore any learning.

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improvement to be good

There are no systems in place to ensure that concerns in relation to senior leaders can be independently investigated. Staff and managers have failed to identify how to escalate concerns in relation to senior members of the organisation. As a result, the processes in place are not fully effective in keeping children safe and mitigating against a closed culture. Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a committed and compassionate manager who is a strong advocate for children and has high aspirations for children and staff. Leaders and managers have created a stable and consistent staff team that is child focused, caring and strives for children to have positive experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers take pride in the home and the trusting relationships they have built with children and staff. They recognise and celebrate children’s progress and triumphs, and they provide clear direction to develop strategies that help children stay safe and make progress. Managers work alongside staff, guiding children through difficult times and celebrating their achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have implemented systems to ensure that staff receive regular high-quality training opportunities. Managers are proactive in sourcing and offering refresher training in line with trends and patterns in the incidents/needs of children in the home. As a result, staff are consistently skilled in responding to the concerns and needs that arise for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued. Supervision is frequent and effective. It is supplemented by a range of reflective practices, clinical sessions and team meetings. This helps staff and managers at all levels to reflect on their practice and the evolving needs of children. These systems have been key in helping staff share timely and accurate information about children but have also been effective in supporting staff in thinking individually and collectively about the impact of their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are reflective. They have identified their strengths and areas for development and have begun to explore the systems they can implement to maintain greater oversight of incidents and safeguarding practices in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 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 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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(e)) 14 June 2026

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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 person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 14 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant parties, which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations, and establishments that work with children in the local community, such as police, schools, health and youth offending teams. These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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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: 2841380 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Willow Family Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Samantha-Jade Harper

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Inspector

Georgia Carty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2841380 8 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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