Children's Home run by Elmdale Care Ltd in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 1 Registered provider: Elmdale Care Ltd Full inspection 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 2025 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children were spoken to as part of the inspection. One child has moved out during this inspection period.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2863071 2

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Summary of findings

Staff have developed positive relationships with children and know them well. Children feel safe, and their voices are heard. As a result, serious incidents involving children have reduced. Lessons learned have been put into practice to improve outcomes for children. However, shortfalls were identified in the leadership and management of the home. There has been insufficient oversight from the responsible individual while there is no registered manager, and opportunities to identify and action areas for development have been limited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children have positive experiences at the home and make good progress. Staff develop positive and meaningful relationships with children and speak about them with warmth. One professional described the staff as ‘really caring and child focused’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since registration, 3 children have moved into the home and one child has moved out. This move was unplanned; however, managers acted in the child’s best interests. Staff continued to support the child for a short period following the move to promote stability. Children’s admissions to the home are thorough and well planned. Managers consider the individual needs of the children already living in the home, as well as how they can live safely with new children moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful consideration is given to promoting positive endings for children when staff leave the home. Children are supported through spending quality time with departing staff members, including participating in activities they enjoy. Importance is placed on capturing memories with staff who have cared for them, such as through goodbye letters and photo memory folders. This supports children’s ability to form trusting relationships and promotes their emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are areas of damage in the home, including in children’s bedrooms. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate sufficient oversight to ensure that repairs are addressed to an acceptable standard or in a timely manner. This does not help children feel valued. Where damage has been caused by children during times of distress, any remaining damage may serve as a reminder of difficult emotions, and children may continue to experience feelings of shame.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children to attend school. When children are not in education, structures and routines to promote learning are limited. Educational activities are identified but are not consistently prioritised. This has resulted in missed opportunities for one child to develop their confidence and motivation to engage with learning. Staff help children develop their independence in line with their age and stage of development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 3

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

Staff follow individualised plans when children go missing from the home. They make regular attempts to contact children, search known locations and liaise with the child’s professional and personal networks to support their safe return. When children return, they are welcomed and offered appropriate support. For one child, incidents of going missing have reduced significantly. A professional working with the child attributes this reduction to the support provided by staff and the positive relationships they have developed.

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

Children can identify staff members they feel safe speaking to about their worries. They understand how to make a complaint, and when concerns are raised about rules or boundaries, their voices are heard. Managers take action to support children’s wishes where it is safe to do so. When allegations are made or concerns arise about staff practice, processes are followed to ensure children’s safety.

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

Documents supporting staff to care for children and keep them safe are individualised. Children’s histories are reflected in their plans, helping staff to understand their vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are detailed and easy to follow; however, they are not consistently updated to reflect current risks or the actions required by staff.

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

Safety plans relating to staff’s access to ligature cutters are reviewed and updated in line with children’s needs. Ligature cutters are stored in a way that reduces the risk of access by children. However, staff are not always able to access them promptly in an emergency. Although no harm has occurred, delays could place children at significant risk. Managers have identified actions to address this issue, but these are not yet embedded.

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

When recruiting new staff, appropriate checks are carried out before they have contact with children. This helps to ensure that children are cared for by adults who have been assessed as suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual has not maintained sufficient oversight during the absence of a registered manager. Incidents involving the acting manager have not been reviewed by the responsible individual. This limits robust scrutiny of the care provided to children and may result in missed opportunities to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring systems intended to support oversight of children’s care are not robust. Although leaders and managers have plans to improve oversight, these are not yet embedded in day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of communication between leaders and managers and children’s personal and professional networks is inconsistent. While communication was identified as an area of concern during this inspection period, there has been improvement Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 4 following the appointment of the acting manager. One parent described a ‘massive’ improvement in communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The acting manager has developed positive relationships with the wider professional network, supporting a multi-agency approach to meeting children’s needs. However, staff continue to identify communication from management as an area for development and, at times, report feeling unsupported by leaders and managers. This may affect staff stability and could result in inconsistent care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision from management, which includes discussions about children’s individual needs and progress. Supervision is reflective and promotes the ongoing development of staff knowledge and skills. However, supervision of the acting manager by the responsible individual is largely task-focused and does not sufficiently consider children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Following an unplanned move for one child, leaders and managers reflected on practice and identified areas for improvement. Learning from this reflection has since been applied when new children move into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that processes are in place to reduce ligature risks in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home environment is maintained to a good standard and that damages are repaired in a timely manner. 26 June 2026

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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 26 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 6 promotes their welfare.

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children;

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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)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is suitable oversight of incidents.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the use of door alarms considers children’s individual needs and risks, and that the home reflects a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2863071 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 109 Coleman Road, Leicester LE5 4LE

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Regulatory Inspection Manager Siobhan Holmes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2863071 8 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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