Children's Home run by Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and cares for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child, and they contributed to the inspection.

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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

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: 2862161 2

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Summary of findings

The child experiences nurturing care from staff who are knowledgeable and suitably trained. Positive relationships support the progress the child has made from their starting point and have supported stability and the child’s sense of belonging. Staff understand how to keep the child safe and support them in all areas of their lives. Staff are supported by an ambitious and confident manager who embeds the ethos and model of care in staff practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience positive relationships with staff, which are central to their wellbeing and sense of belonging. The child says, ‘This is the best home I have ever lived in,’ and says that staff help them in areas where they know they need support. The child can identify people they trust, and experiences warm, nurturing and child-centred care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and inviting. Communal spaces provide opportunities for relaxation and play, with the child’s artwork displayed proudly on the walls. The child has painted a mural on the wall of the home, which has contributed to their strong sense of belonging. The child’s bedroom is personalised, with colours matched to their favourite cartoon character. Staff write meaningful messages to the child, which they display on the wall of their bedroom along with pictures of important memories. This supports the child in feeling valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support educational engagement. Through collaborative working, the child has increased their hours spent in education, and teachers report an improvement in the child’s engagement since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals and family members report good communication between themselves and the managers. They highlight that the staff and managers know the child well. The deputy manager has regular meetings with a parent, which has supported consistency of approach and improved the relationship between the parent and the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has recently had a family bereavement. The manager has ensured that sensitive conversations have taken place with the child about this loss. The in-house therapist has also been available for conversations with the child and the staff to ensure their wellbeing. Staff have read resources around supporting children with grief and loss so that they are prepared for difficult conversations. Safe and child-centred plans are in place so that the child can attend the family funeral.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff document memories, and achievements are recognised and celebrated. The staff have organised full team days with the child to the beach, which the child said was their ‘best day ever’. The staff make celebrations memorable for the child, including Easter, Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 3 International Women’s Day and a special ‘Galentine’ pamper night. As a result, the child feels valued and involved within the home.

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

The child feels safe and secure, and there are routines and boundaries in place which the child understands. This provides the child with consistency, resulting in improved stability.

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

Managers have responded appropriately when the child has disclosed historic information. External agencies were informed, and allegations were appropriately explored. The child has involvement from a specialised exploitation team. The managers have sought training from the team, alongside additional resources, to inform their conversations with the child. As a result of this approach, the exploitation team is due to complete its work with the child and its services will no longer be needed.

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

Staff are resilient and creative when the child is in crisis. They use a variety of de- escalation techniques even during prolonged and challenging incidents. When physical interventions do occur, these are proportionate and focus on keeping the child safe. After an incident, staff speak with the child to understand their experience and provide support. Managers have detailed oversight of incidents, which have identified learning to improve practice.

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

Staff provide good support when the child has harmed themselves. Staff have a nurturing approach, which encourages the child to express their feelings and talk about what happened. Staff show understanding and consider the underlying reasons when supporting the child.

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

Risk assessments outline the risks for the child and some of the strategies staff use to manage these. There are some risks that are lacking in detail as well as the strategies staff are using to manage them. The child is currently using a vape, but the risk assessment is not clear on how staff are supporting the child to reduce the use of this, which does not promote a consistent approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides strong and ambitious leadership. She is creative and child- centred, and role models the ethos of the home for staff. The manager works hard to ensure cohesive team working, and continually strives for improvement in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand and apply the home’s ethos well. They know the child and understand how the model of care can be personalised to them. Staff talk with fondness about the child and are child focused throughout their work. Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 4 Staff say that they are well supported. They receive regular supervision and support in their roles. They regularly complete skills gaps analysis, which ensures they are fulfilling their roles and working towards further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ oversight and knowledge of the home are thorough. The manager and the deputy manager are visible and present in the home, and are available for support. Records have good oversight from the managers. They consider the broader picture of the care delivered, and consider further actions for the home to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training that is focused on the needs of the child. The training is delivered both face to face and online, and is supported by the in-house therapists. Regular group supervisions give staff the opportunity to talk about the child and how they can improve the therapeutic care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some gaps in safer recruitment checks. When 2 references highlighted concerns regarding practice for one member of staff, managers have not had sufficient oversight to consider the broader picture this creates. There was no risk assessment in place to provide a rationale or mitigating circumstances that assured the manager to continue with employment. Since the staff member has been employed, there have been no practice concerns in relation to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 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 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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to there being risk assessments and a sound rationale from the manager for continuing with the recruitment of staff. This is when schedule 2 checks are not satisfactory, identifying concerns from previous employment or driving convictions. 13 October 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. The child’s relevant plans should include the details of the steps the home will take to manage and reduce any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 6

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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: 2862161 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3 Mercia Court, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8QX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: William Cunningham

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Inspector

Becki Cornes-Sinclair, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2862161 8 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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