Children's Home run by Redwood Childcare Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 1 Registered provider: Redwood Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and both were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024 and has achieved the qualification relevant to this role. They were present for both days of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

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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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2025 Full Good 01/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 3

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Summary of findings

The judgement of requires improvement to be good reflects inconsistent practice that does not yet ensure that children are supported to make good progress. Although there are some positive relationships and examples of multi-agency working, these are undermined by reactive responses to behaviour, inconsistent implementation of plans and weaknesses in safeguarding practice. The judgement of inadequate for leadership and management reflects significant shortfalls in oversight, monitoring and accountability. Leaders and managers have not ensured that safeguarding systems are consistently followed or that identified weaknesses are addressed promptly, resulting in continued risks and variable quality of care for children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with adults they like and can access a range of activities they enjoy. Key workers show commitment to children and make efforts to be present for important events in their lives. This helps children to feel valued and supported.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised, with children having opportunities to choose colours and decor that reflect their interests and preferences. However, the standard of maintenance is not consistent for all children living at the home. Where damage has been caused in one child’s room, this has not been repaired.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to make progress in education from their individual starting points. Staff and the manager work with education professionals to help children engage in learning. Education professionals describe the registered manager and staff as responsive and supportive when children experience difficulties with their education. Subsequently, children feel encouraged to participate in education and are being helped to understand the importance of this.

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improvement to be good

Family time is promoted, and staff recognise the importance of maintaining relationships with the people who are significant to children. One family member spoke positively about staff supporting their family time and about their observations of the warm relationship between staff and the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently provide care that is attuned to children’s individual needs. Although children’s plans are detailed and written in a child-focused way, they are not always updated to reflect significant changes. Staff are not consistent in following agreed daily routines, boundaries and strategies to support children’s emotional wellbeing. Responses to children’s distress are often reactive rather than proactive, which means children do not consistently experience calm, predictable and nurturing care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 4 Consequently, children are not supported to develop positive ways to understand and manage their feelings.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have made efforts to improve the physical environment to make the home feel less institutional and more welcoming for children. However, these improvements are undermined by areas and items being restricted, preventing children from having access to all areas of their home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s cultural and religious needs are not consistently understood or promoted by leaders and managers. In addition, children do not always feel listened to or that their views influence day-to-day decisions in the home. This limits children’s sense of belonging and reduces their confidence that their wishes and views matter to the staff caring for them.

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improvement to be good

Children do not feel consistently safe in this home. They say that adults are not always able to manage situations effectively when they experience heightened emotions. This undermines children’s sense of security and trust in staff to keep them safe, particularly during times when they are most vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice is not robust. Established protocols are not always followed, including required staffing ratios and missing-from-care procedures. These shortfalls have not been addressed promptly by leaders and managers. Consequently, children have been exposed to avoidable risks and continue to experience inconsistent care.

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improvement to be good

While allegations are recorded and responded to, they have not always been shared with Ofsted when it would have been appropriate to do so. This lack of external oversight reduces transparency and limits independent scrutiny of safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

Professionals report that they are kept well informed about risks and developments for children. This supports multi-agency working and contributes to a shared understanding of children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to attend meetings and contribute to safety planning. There is evidence of staff advocating on behalf of children, including raising complaints with external professionals and ensuring that children are informed of the outcomes. However, children are not clear how to raise concerns or make a complaint themselves if they have any worries or concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a lack of effective oversight and monitoring of key areas of practice by leaders and managers. When staff have not followed agreed strategies and procedures, this has Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 5 not been addressed promptly or effectively. This means that risks are not reduced effectively and children continue to experience inconsistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring by the responsible individual is not robust. The lack of effective challenge and accountability means that weaknesses are not identified or addressed in a timely way, resulting in continued shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff feel sufficiently supported or confident in managing children’s complex behaviours. Some staff say they feel overwhelmed and unsure how to respond when children become angry or damage property. Consequently, children experience inconsistent responses from staff, which can escalate situations and undermine their sense of safety and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of incidents that occur in the home. Arrangements in place to provide oversight when the registered manager is absent from the home have not been effective. Staff do not have clear direction to help them in their role and feel unable to challenge poor practice with colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Learning and development undertaken with the staff team have not been consistently applied in practice. As a result, practice remains variable and does not reliably safeguard children. This demonstrates a lack of effective evaluation and limits the ability to improve outcomes for children. The registered manager has plans to improve leadership arrangements to better support staff working in the home. However, these changes have not yet been implemented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision, and the manager has implemented new templates to support more structured and reflective discussions. This provides a clearer framework for monitoring practice and supporting staff development. However, these improvements are not yet embedded in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child

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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

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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that adequate systems are in place to maintain oversight of practice and the quality of care when they are absent from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that safeguarding and practice issues are identified and addressed without delay. 8 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 7 Ensure that monitoring systems identify the quality of care provided, the impact this has for children living in the home and take effective action to address shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the responsible individual in that they must provide sufficient and effective monitoring, oversight and support.

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation (12)(1) (2)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand and follow safeguarding protocols when there is a potential risk of harm to children. This also relates to staff being able to pre-empt and manage conflicts between children effectively. 8 August 2026

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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

that staff— 8 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 8 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation (11)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(ix)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s emotional and behavioural needs are understood and supported, with consistent boundaries implemented by the staff team in order to avoid escalating behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 8 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 9 has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home. (Regulation (7)(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have access to, are reminded of and are supported to use the complaints procedure, and that leaders and managers actively seek ways to gather and respond to children’s views. It also relates to children’s cultural and religious needs being explored and supported.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation (40)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that Ofsted is notified of incidents when a child has made an allegation of abuse. 8 August 2026

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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: 2785973 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Redwood Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 470 Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1FX

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Inspector

Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2785973 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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