Children's Home run by Capital Children’s Care Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 1 Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider and offers care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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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: 2806628 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 3

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Summary of findings

The home is staffed by a stable staff team who are well supported in their roles by managers. The manager and staff work effectively with other professionals to keep children safe. The home has had some turbulent periods and children have had to move out, but at the time of the inspection, it was much more settled.

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Summary of findings

Some shortfalls were identified in practice relating to records for missing-from-home incidents and physical interventions. One child’s ending at the home was very abrupt and did not support a positive moving-on plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home, who has been there for more than 7 months. Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved into the home and 3 children have moved out. One child moved on due to escalating needs that required a more secure environment. Another child faced challenges in the local community and needed to move urgently. One child experienced an abrupt ending due to the manager serving immediate notice, as they could not meet their needs. This impacted on the local authority’s ability to find a suitable home for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned care when they move into the home. Staff visit children before their move and work with social workers and families to help children move in. Staff quickly form relationships with children, which helps them to settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home is making progress from their starting point. Staff have good relationships with the child and there are warm interactions between them. The child’s social worker highlighted the positive impact that staff support has had on the child’s social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a voice in their day-to-day care and long-term plans. Staff help the child to make choices about activities and food. When necessary, staff support the child to make complaints against other agencies, and the child has an advocate. For example, the child was supported to make a complaint against their school and as a result, they were given an offer more suited to with their needs. This helps the child to feel heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the barriers to learning that the child experiences. They take the child to school and remain in the local area to support the child when needed. At the child’s last personal education planning meeting, their quality of learning was noted to have improved. Staff helped the child to find a local work placement, in line with the child’s future career aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to learn about their identity, as well as different cultures. The child participates in different cultural celebrations, and this is embedded naturally in their Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 4 monthly routine. Staff support the child to regularly spend time with their family. Staff have positive relationships with the child’s family and welcome family visits to the home. This helps to support the child’s identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a welcoming and spacious home. The child has a say in how they want their home to look, which helps them to feel valued.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and work with the wider professional network around children to keep them safe. Staff are trained in a therapeutic approach which they use in assessments and direct work with children. They work with the local authority mental health coordinator and the home’s internal social work lead to develop support strategies for children. Consequently, the child living at the home is making progress with their emotional health and now talks freely with staff about their worries.

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

Staff have effective systems that help the child stay safe online. They help the child to understand healthy relationships and the risks of using social media. Staff work effectively with external professionals supporting the child with sessions on online safety. The child talks openly about their difficulties with friendships. This creates an open culture and staff have been able to take protective measures.

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

When concerns are raised about staff’s practice, the manager follows safeguarding procedures. The manager keeps children safe and shares information with the relevant professionals. The manager provides feedback to children through friendly letters. This helps children to know they are listened to and their concerns are taken seriously.

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

Staff use physical intervention appropriately to keep children safe. Staff are trained to do this safely and only use physical intervention as a last resort. Children are spoken to after the intervention. However, conversations with staff are not carried out in a timely way and management oversight is not always recorded. This is a missed opportunity to oversee staff practice and quickly address any emerging concerns.

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

One child who lived at the home frequently went missing. Staff could not prevent this as the child broke windows to leave the home. Staff looked for the child in the local area and worked closely with the police to identify locations where the child may go. However, staff do not have a system to request return home interviews, reducing opportunities to learn from incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the leadership team since the last inspection. The current registered manager returned after a period of being away. In the interim, a new manager was appointed who subsequently left. The manager is ambitious for the child and understands the strengths and areas for development of the team. Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 5 The home has a stable staff team and there is minimal use of agency staff. Staff have regular supervision. These sessions provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and the impact of their care on the child’s development. The manager and staff continually assess and track children’s progress and agree on strategies to support them. Wellbeing for staff is also prioritised, with staff saying morale is positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand the importance of ensuring that staff have the skills and knowledge that they need to provide consistent care to children. Staff access additional training that is in line with each child’s needs. Staff are either qualified or working towards the relevant level 3 qualification within the required time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff use therapeutically informed and kind language in children’s records. They also regularly write to the child. Staff document the child’s memories in memory books. This helps the child to develop a positive self-image.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective relationships with other professionals and families. She meets regularly with professionals to discuss support strategies. Professionals and parents shared positive feedback on the quality of communication and care offered to the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 16 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 16 June 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 7

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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: 2806628 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capital Children’s Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Pike Way, North Weald, Epping CM16 6BL

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Inspectors

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Maisy Griggs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2806628 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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