Children's Home run by Cohen Care Ltd in Slough

Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 1 Registered provider: Cohen Care Ltd

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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 owned home provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 3

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Summary of findings

The registered manager has been without support from a responsible individual and deputy manager until recently, which has made it harder for children to get the care and support they need to thrive.

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Summary of findings

The frequency of calls to the police to support the management of incidents has increased and has led to children’s arrests. There are gaps in the management oversight for missing-from-home incidents, complaints and allegations, alongside the need for more robust checks for recruitment of staff. The cleanliness of the home environment has not been consistently maintained nor has damage been repaired in a timely way.

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Summary of findings

Staff speak positively about the support they have received from the manager, and children have experienced a variety of activities to support their interests. However, 2 children do not have formal education in place.

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improvement to be good

Children have experiences that vary in quality. Although they have made some progress during their time at the home, they have not been provided with all the support that they need to make consistently good progress from their starting points.

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improvement to be good

Children’s hobbies and interests are nurtured. Staff speak to children about the interests they would like to pursue and provide opportunities for children to access a range of community-based and social activities. This enables children to have fun, build confidence and feel more settled. One child spoke positively about their hobbies and birthday celebrations.

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improvement to be good

Children are not yet making consistent progress in relation to their attendance and achievement in education. Staff have been creative in supporting children to develop their talents and interests and link this to learning opportunities in the absence of formal educational placements. However, one child has been waiting for a significant period for an education placement that meets their needs.

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improvement to be good

The cleanliness of the home is not consistently good, and some areas, including communal spaces, have not been well maintained. The manager has made arrangements for remedial work to repair broken windows in the property and to secure the downstairs toilet to the floor. However, the environment is not consistently conducive to promoting children’s wellbeing, nor does it help them to develop a sense of ownership and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 4 Engaging with a therapist has been a positive opportunity for children to access support. This professional uses informal opportunities to build relationships with the children, such as playing football and games in the garden.

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improvement to be good

When children engage in behaviours such as going missing or causing damage in the home, staff have been unable to deter or reduce these behaviours effectively. This has disrupted children’s stability, progress in education and, in some cases, has precipitated children moving on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort. Managers ensure that the use of any measure is proportionate and necessary, with learning considered as part of their oversight. However, staff are not always been able to manage children’s behaviour or de-escalate violence effectively. Staff disproportionately rely on police to respond to incidents, leading to some children being arrested.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. However, not all complaints have been reviewed by the manager. This means that there have been missed opportunities to identify further learning and seek the views of the children about their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff are diligent in administering medication, and errors are extremely rare. Since the last inspection, only one minor error has occurred, with no negative impact on the child involved.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond effectively to address bullying when it is reported by children. Following one incident, staff used a presentation to encourage children to discuss and reflect on the impact of bullying. Staff delivered these messages to the children in a sensitive and child-centred way.

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good

During this period, there have been changes in the management team and some staff vacancies. Although things have now stabilised and the registered manager has support from a newly appointed deputy, this period of disruption contributed towards inconsistencies in the care provided to children.

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good

Management oversight is not consistently strong. This has led to omissions in staff training and has limited how effectively learning from significant incidents is applied to staff practice. Leaders understand the shortfalls and have plans to address them.

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good

The staff team has grown; however, the managers’ safer recruitment practice is not yet robust enough. They have not always obtained a full employment history for new staff. The manager is aware that this needs to be addressed in order to prevent the risk of unsuitable people gaining employment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 5 The manager is passionate about providing positive experiences to the children and is ambitious about children’s progress. Staff consistently report feeling well supported by the management team and express genuine enjoyment in working at the home. Staff benefit from regular and effective supervision, which is complemented by team meetings. This reinforces the sense of support that staff feel and promotes ongoing professional development. As a result, staff feel appreciated and valued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(v)(xi)) 30 June 2026

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 7 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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that all checks under schedule 2 have been received, including a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, in writing.

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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

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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 31 July 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; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 8 and 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—

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Requirement Due date

and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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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: 2808006 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 268 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX

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Inspector

Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2808006 10 and inspects 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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