Children's Home run by Rubycare Services Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 1 Registered provider: Rubycare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated and provides care for up to 3 children with complex needs who require specialist support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in May 2025.

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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: 2829276 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm, nurturing care from staff who know them well and are committed to helping them make progress. Children benefit from positive relationships and good support with their health, education and emotional wellbeing. Children’s moves are carefully planned. Leaders are ambitious for children and provide effective oversight of practice. Staff are well supported and receive training that helps them meet children’s individual needs. Safeguarding practice is generally effective and promotes children’s welfare. However, some aspects of behaviour management, responses to missing-from- home incidents and the maintenance of the home require improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out. At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. One of these children moved out of the home in a planned way during the inspection. One child spoke to the inspector. They said that they like the staff and living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to attend all medical appointments. They work closely with other professionals to ensure that any required health support is provided. As a result, children have improved their health by attending medical appointments. Children have access to an in-house therapist, and this supports them with their emotional wellbeing. Children are encouraged to use the therapist, with a reward system as an incentive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned and coordinated moves in and out of the home. These are managed thoughtfully, with meaningful involvement from children and the wider support network. The matching process is thorough and assesses staff’s ability to meet the children’s needs and whether the child is a good match for the home. This careful planning contributes to positive experiences and smooth moves for children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are active and happy in the home. Staff know the children well and demonstrate warm, nurturing interactions. Children’s wishes and feelings are valued. Staff consult with children in residents’ meetings and act on concerns and any requests that children put forward. This helps children feel heard and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give considerable thought to creating opportunities for children based on their hobbies and interests. Children benefit from a wide range of activities. Photos of these experiences are displayed around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support visits with people who are important to children. They recognise the importance of maintaining these connections for children. These visits are in line with children’s personal circumstances. This is facilitated through telephone calls and face-to-face visits. Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 4 Staff promote children’s educational progress through effective partnerships with schools, colleges, and the virtual school. Staff provide consistent support and encouragement. Staff support children in school. As a result, children engage positively with education, increase their confidence, and continue to make progress towards their educational goals. Staff have reward systems in place to support children to attend education, follow curfews, adhere to house rules, and work towards other targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is not consistently maintained to a good standard. Areas of the home are poorly maintained, with marks on the paintwork, empty fixtures left on the walls, and the kitchen bin having no lid. One child’s bedroom contained a damaged chair, and there were marks on the windows, and their belongings were stored in piles at the bottom of a wardrobe with no door. There was also a cracked windowpane above their bedroom door. A damaged shower remained unrepaired despite children raising this in meetings. These issues do not promote a safe, comfortable or homely environment for the children.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are detailed, regularly reviewed and provide clear guidance. Plans include effective strategies to support children to regulate their emotions and enable staff to provide consistent and individualised care. As a result, children receive support that promotes their safety and wellbeing.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs and respond appropriately when concerns arise. Incidents are managed well, with staff remaining calm and using effective de-escalation strategies to help children manage their emotions. This helps to reduce risks and supports children to feel safe during periods of heightened emotion. Management oversight of incidents is thorough and reflective, identifying any learning or follow-up actions required to ensure children continue to receive appropriate support. Physical intervention is used only as a last resort to keep children and others safe. Records demonstrate that interventions are necessary and proportionate to the risks presented. Children and staff are offered opportunities to take part in discussions following incidents, enabling them to share their views and reflect on events. Leaders respond promptly to any practice issues that arise and take appropriate action to

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

reinforce expectations and support learning. As a result, children continue to receive safe and effective care.

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

Children are supported to understand and manage risks relevant to their individual circumstances. Staff carry out direct work with children on topics including smoking, vaping, healthy relationships, sexual health, managing conflict and showing respect for others. Staff make effective use of resources and information about external support services to support children’s learning and understanding. This helps children to make informed decisions, develop their awareness of risk and make safer choices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 5 Staff support children to understand expectations and promote positive behaviour. However, consequences used in response to incidents are not always restorative or naturally linked to the behaviour being addressed. This limits opportunities for children to reflect on the impact of their actions, repair relationships and develop a deeper understanding of how to make positive choices in the future.

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

Children benefit from individualised missing-from-home protocols that identify their known risks and vulnerabilities. However, staff do not consistently take all reasonable steps to reduce risks and support children to return home safely when they go missing. Opportunities to demonstrate professional curiosity and intervene at key points are sometimes missed. As a result, children are not always afforded the highest level of protection when they are vulnerable and away from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and permanent registered manager, who is well supported by an experienced deputy manager. Leaders and managers have a strong understanding of children’s needs and consistently maintain a child-focused approach. They know the children well and spend regular, meaningful time with them. The manager is ambitious for children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are purposeful. They are used effectively to share information, review children’s progress and identify areas for development. This supports a cohesive team approach and ensures that staff understand the home’s priorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are regular and reflective. Staff feel confident to raise concerns and discuss their practice openly with managers. Safeguarding scenarios are used effectively to test and develop staff’s knowledge. As a result, staff’s understanding of safeguarding is regularly refreshed and remains relevant to practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. They say that communication is consistent and dependable. Professionals say that staff have built good relationships with children and that children have made progress since living at the home. One social worker said, ‘They always put the needs of the children first and are passionate about the support they offer, and this filters down from leadership.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities. Learning is embedded in practice, enabling staff to meet the diverse needs of children. Leaders are proactive in sourcing additional training, including training to support children with their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feedback about leaders and managers is positive. They describe the manager as ‘supportive’ and ‘approachable’. Leaders have established effective monitoring systems. These provide clear oversight of the home and enable the manager to identify trends and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 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(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.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 25 September 2026

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 7 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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise how their behaviour affects themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparations in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and staff should be skilled in supporting them to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2829276 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rubycare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 85 Lethe Grove, Colchester CO2 8RQ

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Inspectors

Emilja Myers, Social Care Inspector Andreia Alves da Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2829276 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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