Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 1 SC005041 Registered provider: Caretech Community Services 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 is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 8 children with a range of disabilities and complex needs. There were 8 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All the children were seen during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that a serious incident that occurred at the setting since the last inspection was under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/07/2025 Full Good 12/03/2025 Full Good 30/01/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 3

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Summary of findings

Shortfalls in how children have been helped and protected have impacted on children’s experiences at this home. While managers have acted in response to incidents, monitoring and investigation systems have not always been effective at identifying all concerns or learning. Despite shortfalls, children make good progress from their starting points and benefit from close relationships with staff who know them well.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. Children are settled and making good progress. Staff build positive relationships with children and know them well. One child’s parent described their child as benefiting from close relationships with staff who adore them.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to share their views, using their preferred methods of communication. They use technology creatively to capture important information that children want to share, and act on children’s requests. This helps to ensure that children feel listened to and valued.

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improvement to be good

The home has large, pleasant spaces where children can relax and enjoy themselves. Their bedrooms are highly personalised to reflect their individual tastes and interests. Toys and games are accessible and photos celebrating children’s experiences are on display, creating a homely environment and helping to foster children’s sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers place a high priority on children’s access to education. When a child did not have suitable provision, the manager advocated strongly to ensure their needs were met. All children now receive education that meets their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand and meet children’s cultural needs well. Children enjoy music and wear clothing that is culturally significant and staff talk to children’s families to understand what is important to them. They put on regular themed events which support children to experience and develop their understanding of other cultures. These events enhance children’s experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are mostly met well, and staff advocate for children to ensure they receive the support they need. However, the manager has not sought advice on how best to support a child who struggles to tolerate their glasses, and staff lack clear guidance. As a result, the child does not wear glasses that they require. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 4

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improvement to be good

A culture of strong safeguarding practice is not yet embedded in the home. There have been occasions when staff have not followed the home’s protocols or expectations relating to safeguarding. These incidents have put children at risk of harm. On one occasion, a staff member failed to inform a manager of important information which affected their suitability to work. On another occasion, a staff member failed to follow the home’s policy relating to vapes; as a result, a child obtained a vape and used it. The manager took action in response to these shortfalls.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always ensure that all steps are taken to reduce risk in the home. Cleaning fluid is not always put away promptly after use and while a door was locked to prevent children’s access to a room storing potentially hazardous materials, the key to the door had not been put away securely by staff. Areas of the garden require maintenance to ensure they are safe for children, for example, there are raised slabs on the patio, and a brick had come away from a wall. Furthermore, a shed which contained hazardous chemicals had not been secured. The manager took immediate action to reduce these risks and there are plans for maintenance work to improve the garden.

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improvement to be good

A child was scalded by water from a shower when the temperature rose unexpectedly. Staff took appropriate immediate action to ensure the child received treatment and managers completed an evaluation that identified learning. This investigation highlighted that there was an earlier indication that a part was failing when the shower ran cold and needed a repair. It also identified that staff were not routinely completing all health and safety checks in line with expectations. Managers have taken action to ensure that learning is implemented and all showers in the property have been replaced as a precautionary measure. Additional safety features that regulate water temperature have been installed on all water supplies that children have access to in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally manage children’s complex medical needs well. They receive training which is individualised to children’s needs and medication is well managed. Cameras are used in some children’s rooms as a safety measure to enable staff to monitor children’s health. However, this restrictive practice is not subject to regular review with relevant professionals and alternative, less intrusive, options have not been considered.

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improvement to be good

Allegations against staff are managed well. One allegation has been received since the last inspection. Staff responded sensitively to the information being shared and provided the child with tailored support. Staff helped prepare the child well for discussions that followed.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop independence, autonomy and understanding of their own health and wellbeing. These informative sessions are tailored to children’s needs and supported by appropriate resources. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 5

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

The registered manager is passionate about her role and has an in-depth understanding of the children in her care. Leaders and managers aspire to provide children with good- quality care and are continuously looking for ways to develop the home. However, while there are mechanisms in place to oversee the care that children receive, these have not always been sufficiently robust and have not always identified shortfalls. While there are no widespread shortfalls which leave children at ongoing risk of harm, a consistently strong safeguarding culture is not yet embedded.

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

Senior leaders provide additional oversight of the home. The responsible individual and operations managers are regularly present in the home and provide the manager and staff with support and guidance.

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

The manager completes comprehensive investigations after incidents and acts in response to concerns. However, investigations do not always identify all shortfalls. For example, the manager has not identified when language in records is unclear. This hinders her understanding of those incidents and the effectiveness of investigations.

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

Staff say that they feel well supported. They describe the manager as approachable and say they feel listened to. They say that they receive supervision that they find helpful. While all staff receive supervision, the quality of these discussions is inconsistent, and one staff member had gaps in their records which meant that actions were not evidenced as completed. The manager had not identified these shortfalls despite auditing the file. Systems for monitoring supervision and driving development are not always effective. Inconsistent records undermine accountability and limit the manager’s ability to track progress over time.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that team meetings take place regularly. These include workshops that provide staff with opportunities to learn and reflect on the care they give children.

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

Staff receive training that is individualised to children’s needs. Staff do not support children until they have completed the relevant training to meet the child’s needs. When a staff member reported that they had become frustrated due to struggling to support a child’s behaviour as they had not been appropriately trained, the manager addressed this and reiterated to the staff team that staff should only be allocated to children who they have the necessary training to support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand their responsibilities in relation to reporting safeguarding concerns.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that the home environment is kept safe and that staff follow protocols relating to securing hazardous materials.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that staff follow the home’s protocol and do not carry vapes when caring for children. 22 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 7 In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff routinely complete all health and safety checks in line with expectations.

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that evaluations of incidents identify learning and explore when language in records is unclear.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that they use monitoring systems effectively to identify gaps in staff supervision and assure themselves that all actions have been completed, to support continuous improvement in the quality of care.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that they promote and embed a strong safeguarding culture which consistently promotes children’s wellbeing. 22 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and wellbeing of those living and working in the home, in accordance with regulation 24. The registered person must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement and ensure that the use is regularly reviewed with relevant professionals and that less restrictive options are considered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16) Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 8  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children; administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment; help children to manage long-term conditions and where

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Recommendations

necessary meet specific individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. This includes supporting children with visual impairment to wear glasses that they need. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)

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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: SC005041 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Caretech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspectors

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005041 10 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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