Children's Home run by Cranmead Limited in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 1 Registered provider: Cranmead Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2024 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since 1 December 2025.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the provider’s progress in relation to compliance notices issued following the previous assurance inspection. This action was taken due to concerns about the provider’s ability to ensure that children are being cared for in a way that ensures that their needs and risks are fully understood. During this visit, the compliance notices were deemed to have been met.

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This monitoring visit

Following that last inspection, the proposed manager of the home resigned from their post. A new interim manager is currently leading the home and has supported the responsible individual in addressing the previous concerns. At the time of this visit, one child had recently moved on from the home in an unplanned way.

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This monitoring visit

Children speak warmly about living at the home. They benefit from positive relationships with staff who know them well. One child said that staff know them better than they do themself.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are working closely with the wider network to ensure that risks and concerns are well understood, as well as strengthening processes to ensure that important information is shared with agencies such as children’s services and the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 2 police in a timely way. They have ensured that known risks and emerging needs are fully understood by staff and that assessments help guide staff in what action to take when concerns arise. As a result, staff are working with children to manage these risks in ways that do not unnecessarily hinder their independence and help children understand their own safety better.

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This monitoring visit

When concerns arise about the safety of children, staff take prompt and appropriate action to help keep them safe. This has enabled safety plans to be reviewed and agreed promptly.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have recruited additional staff to work in the home, as well as redeployed staff from another home. In addition, they have reviewed staffing in the home to ensure that there is a greater balance of experience and skills. As a result, there is less reliance on temporary staff. This means that children have benefited from greater consistency of care.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that staff have undertaken further essential training to help them better understand the individual needs of each child. This has helped staff feel more confident in delivering appropriate care and managing children’s health needs and vulnerabilities. For example, further training in relation to the risk of child exploitation has helped staff understand and respond to potential signs of harm. In addition, managers have reviewed assessment processes so that staff training needs can be identified sooner when determining suitability of children’s needs as part of any new admissions to the home. Currently, managers have not had an opportunity to use these processes in practice and so this requirement is restated.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive regular supervision from managers that helps them reflect, consider the needs of children and develop their practice. Where managers have identified practice concerns, they have responded appropriately and taken action to address them. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 4

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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 with 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)) 5 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, before children move into the home, the registered person must fully consider the needs of children and the training needs and skills of staff. 5 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)) 5 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 5 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 117 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2AF

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Inspector

Jay Shekleton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2797976 7 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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