Children's Home run by Mahogany Strides Care Services in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Mahogany Strides Care Services 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 an individual. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since 28 March 2023. There is also a prospective manager in post, who has applied to Ofsted to be registered. Once they are registered the current manager will resign and fulfil another role in the organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children lived at the home.

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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: 2698072 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Good 01/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress from their starting points. Children say that they are happy with the care they receive from staff, and this makes them feel safe. Children’s education and health needs are supported, and children have access to specialist health services.

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Summary of findings

Staff know the children well, and there are consistent boundaries in place. This means that there are few incidents of children going missing from home and no incidents of physical intervention by staff to manage behaviour. One incident has occurred where medication was not stored safely. This had no impact on children. However, learning was not shared effectively, and the regulator was not notified of the incident.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and staff work proactively with parents and professionals and advocate for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children who live in the home say they are happy with the care that staff provide. They feel safe and have good relationships with several members of staff. This helps children build secure relationships and provides them with a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points. One child is sleeping better, spending less time gaming and has better routines. The children have positive relationships with professionals and are supported to talk about their feelings. One parent said that she is very happy with the progress that her child has made and feels that they have much better routines and are happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to access education and employment. One child attends an alternative provision one day a week, which they said they enjoy. Another child is working part time and now wishes to complete English and mathematics qualifications. This helps the children to engage with others, maintain routines, develop social skills and build independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and support children’s health and emotional needs. They help children attend health appointments and access specialist support services, such as the diabetes clinic, drug support service and talk therapy. One child said staff always try to motivate them and support them with their health and life in general. Children feel supported and well cared for by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

When children go missing from home, staff respond appropriately. Staff work with parents and professionals and share information to locate and bring children home safely. Staff speak to children to understand why they are going missing and explore how they can help prevent this in the future. Consequently, incidents have reduced.

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

When a child made an allegation, the manager acted promptly. The appropriate professionals were notified, and action was taken to prevent further risk. This helped make the child feel heard and prioritised their safety and wellbeing.

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

Consequences and rewards are used proportionately by staff. There have been no incidents of physical intervention. Staff provide consistent boundaries to manage behaviour. They have restorative discussions with children to help them understand the reasons behind their behaviours. Staff agree appropriate consequences with children to help keep children safe and reduce future incidents.

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

One child receives support from staff to manage their blood sugar levels. Staff use monitoring apps and access phone locations to help keep them safe. Staff respond quickly when there are concerns. The child is sensitively supported to increase their understanding of the health risks so they can make healthy life choices.

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

Systems for monitoring and administering medication are mostly good, but there has been one medication error arising from staff leaving medication unattended. There was no impact on the child on this occasion. However, learning was not identified or shared more widely with staff. Additionally, managers did not notify the regulator of this significant incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff work proactively with other agencies and professionals. One professional said, ‘They are absolutely brilliant, and they are accommodating and informative.’ Leaders advocate for children and aspire to provide them with excellent care. They maintain relationships with parents and share good communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff show a good understanding and knowledge of children’s interests, backgrounds and risks. They speak positively about children. This helps children develop a positive sense of identity and self-worth and supports their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they enjoy working in the home and feel supported by managers. This creates a warm and relaxed environment for children. The home is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the children. Staff are suitably vetted and qualified and deliver a high quality of service to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 14 July 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that lessons learned from practice are identified and shared with staff. 14 July 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: 2698072 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspectors

Nus Bibi, Social Care Inspector John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2698072 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspectors

and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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