Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 1 SC059221

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Registered provider: Amicus Residential 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 small home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children aged between 12 and 16 years on admission.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were 2 children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2024.

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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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2025 Full Good 06/08/2024 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Good 05/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 3

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Summary of findings

The home provides a warm, spacious environment where children feel safe, supported and respected. Staff build positive relationships with the children, tailoring their care to their individual needs and advocating strongly for children’s welfare, education and independence. Matching assessments are thorough and safeguarding concerns are managed promptly and appropriately. Missing-from-care episodes are handled with persistence and thorough multi-agency coordination. Training, supervision and induction for staff are strong, and leadership is visible and effective. However, professional curiosity is not sufficiently strong in some areas. Overall, children experience stability, safety and positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and spacious, offering ample room for children to spend time together or to enjoy privacy when needed. The neutral décor creates a relaxed, family-style environment. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which are of a good size. The manager is actively obtaining quotes for refurbishing the bathroom and toilet areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Impact risk assessments are used effectively to ensure that children are suitably matched before moving in. Assessments consider a wide range of potential risks. The views of current residents are also sought and considered when planning new admissions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children experience consistently positive interactions. Children confidently approach staff with requests and staff adapt their communication style to meet each child’s needs. This demonstrates a strong understanding of individual personalities and support requirements. Staff interact warmly with the children and model the respectful behaviours they expect to see. They encourage shared social time, such as communal meals and group activities, while also respecting each child’s need for personal space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive structured care that prioritises their safety, emotional wellbeing and developing independence. Staff understand individual needs and behaviours, tailoring support to help children manage daily challenges. They advocate strongly to ensure that children have access to the same opportunities as their peers, promoting positive outcomes. When children are unable to access their education provision, staff seek suitable alternatives to ensure continued progress across all areas of development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are persistent and passionate advocates for the children in their care. However, there is a missed opportunity for children to be provided with an independent adult by their placing authority , to offer an additional layer of impartial support and advocacy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 4

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

Any concerns raised by children about staff practice are responded to promptly. Safeguarding investigations are undertaken in line with statutory guidance and referred to external safeguarding partners if appropriate. Children are listened to throughout the process and are kept informed of outcomes. Allegations are managed sensitively and restorative approaches are used when suitable to repair relationships and promote learning.

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

There have been many episodes of children missing from care. These incidents have required significant multi-agency coordination to safeguard children. Staff maintain persistent contact attempts during missing episodes, and any communication received is shared immediately with relevant agencies to support a safe return. In one case, due to escalating risk, the decision was made to end a placement. This was supported by the police, and staff ensured that the child experienced as positive an ending as possible.

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

Children’s medication needs are managed safely. Medication administration is supported by clear documentation, and staff demonstrate diligence in following procedures. No medication errors have been recorded. All staff receive appropriate training. When injuries occur, staff offer medical attention and record incidents accurately, informing all relevant professionals.

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

Safer recruitment is robust. A clear checklist is completed for each candidate, helping to ensure that only adults of suitable character work with the children.

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

No closed-circuit television or recording devices are used in the home. A front-door alarm alerts staff to entry or exit. The manager is considering replacing two rear external door locks with thumb-turn mechanisms and alarms to allow children freer access to the garden, while maintaining safety.

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

Internet access is aligned with individual risk assessments. Restrictions are applied when necessary to prevent access to inappropriate content. Devices are checked when concerns arise. Internet access is disabled at 23:00, but children can still use some television channels to support their bedtime routines.

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

Positive and negative consequences are used to support behaviour. Monetary rewards are offered for positive behaviour. Following a review, staff found that previous negative consequences were not effective; therefore, phone data deductions are now used and appear to have greater impact.

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

De-escalation and distraction techniques are prioritised to avoid physical intervention. Incident frequency has reduced during this inspection period, reflecting staff’s proactive approach, their understanding of children’s needs and reflective practice. Systems are in place to review incidents and capture learning.

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

No complaints have been made during this inspection period. Children know how to make a complaint, with information included in the children’s guide and a complaints Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 5 folder available in their room. Staff and managers are transparent in their practice, and families and professionals report confidence in raising concerns.

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

There are no reports of bullying. Although the children have different interests, they participate in children’s meetings and occasional shared activities.

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

Children are using vapes, despite being under the legal age to purchase them. There has been insufficient professional curiosity regarding how these items are obtained, and no structured education has been provided about associated health risks. Similarly, when cannabis use is suspected, staff have undertaken limited room searches and have not completed meaningful work with children around the health and legal implications of drug use. This represents a missed opportunity to safeguard and educate the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place approximately every month. Staff are encouraged to contribute meaningfully to discussions and to the running of the home. However, actions arising from these meetings are not always completed in a timely manner and are not consistently allocated to a named member of staff. This has, at times, resulted in tasks being overlooked due to assumptions that others will complete them. The manager has recognised this shortfall and is implementing improved systems, including clearer recording , to ensure that actions are addressed promptly and that accountability is strengthened.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities, many of which are completed before working directly with children. This enables staff to develop the knowledge and insight needed to support the children effectively. Leaders also source specific training in response to emerging needs, ensuring that staff remain well equipped to manage arising concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision, which helps them to feel supported and confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A detailed and well-structured induction process is provided to all new staff. Time is used productively while waiting for Disclosure and Barring Service checks to be completed, with mandatory training undertaken at the earliest opportunity. Shadowing opportunities allow new staff to build relationships with children at a comfortable pace, supported by trusted and experienced colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they are happy working at the home and feel well supported by managers and each other. They work in a calm, consistent and caring manner, helping children to feel safe, understood and valued. Staff apply clear boundaries and focus on building strong, trusting relationships that support positive behaviour and daily routines. Children are encouraged to develop independence skills in ways that are meaningful and achievable for them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 6 Although there is currently one staff vacancy, children continue to be cared for by a consistent and sufficient team. The home has access to bank staff who are familiar to the children, ensuring continuity of care and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated, visible and approachable manager, who is driven to achieve the best outcomes for all children. She works collaboratively with external agencies and is confident in challenging practice when she believes a child’s needs or interests are not being prioritised. Monthly monitoring systems support her to exercise strong oversight of the quality of care being delivered by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals, although limited, is positive. They report that children appear settled and that communication from the home is effective and timely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 7

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to understand how to keep safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are taught about the risks of substance misuse and that effective measures are in place to support them to understand the risks and to help them to avoid using such substances. 14 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work with the placing authorities to ensure that children are provided with an independent advocate to advise them and to ensure that the children have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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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: SC059221 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Amicus Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR

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Inspector

Vicki Horton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059221 9 regulates 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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