Children's Home run by EpicUK Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 1 Registered provider: EpicUK Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider and offers care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children living in the home are making good progress from their starting points. Children feel safe, cared for and well supported.

p.3

Summary of findings

Staff promote the importance of education for children.

p.3

Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have met the requirements and recommendation from the last full inspection. However, shortfalls were identified that relate to record-keeping, safer recruitment and staff training.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved into the home, and 2 children have moved out. One child returned to the care of their parent and one child returned to foster care after a short-term emergency. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector met the child, who shared their views with them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Interactions between staff and children are warm and caring. Children’s families and professionals are complimentary about how well children are cared for and the progress that they are making. A social worker for one child said, ‘From the outset, the team demonstrated a commitment to working collaboratively with us to meet the child’s needs. They went above and beyond in supporting their transition, assisting with transport arrangements, supporting school attendance, promoting positive activities, and encouraging engagement in their interests.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children had been out of education for a significant period. Staff help children to access education based on their learning styles. Staff seek education provisions that meet children’s individual needs. For one child, staff have worked effectively with professionals to arrange alternative provision and have advocated for them strongly. One child had excellent attendance at their specialist provision before they moved on from the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. They are registered with local health services and attend routine health appointments. Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure that children receive an appropriate diagnosis and that each child’s individual needs can be better understood. As a result, children’s physical and emotional health needs are identified and met effectively.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with the people who are important to them, including family members. Staff build positive relationships with families, which helps Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 4 ensure that visits are safe, meaningful and arranged in the child’s best interests. A family member of one child said, ‘I think they are all amazing and they do their best and more for my child.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak of being happy living in the home and how they have positive relationships with staff. They enjoy going on day trips and short breaks. A weekend away in London included indoor skydiving, high ropes and a meal in Chinatown.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard and provides a comfortable and homely space. Photos and achievements of children are displayed and create a nurturing environment. Current children and children who have left the home have recorded an introductory video to be shared with other children to welcome them to the home.

p.4

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

Children are safeguarded and supported to be safe. Staff know their safeguarding responsibilities and understand whistleblowing procedures. An independent person is in place to manage complaints and allegations.

p.4

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

There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Staff have had training in how to use physical interventions and have followed the training on de- escalation.

p.4

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

Staff work proactively to help children understand that their actions have consequences. Staff help children to develop their understanding of appropriate behaviour through reflective one-to-one sessions. There are examples of this beginning to have a direct impact on children.

p.4

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

There have been several episodes of children going missing from the home. However, for one child, these have reduced in frequency, and the child is communicating with staff during these incidents. One child had several episodes of going missing in a short period of time. Staff took urgent action to ensure the safety of the child, including informing the police when risks increased. Feedback from the community police officer was complimentary. Police are very rarely called to manage behaviour in the home; when they are this is done in a restorative and educational way.

p.4

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

Staff have a good knowledge of children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff have access to risk assessments and care plans for children. Children have behaviour support plans and targets, which are individualised. This helps staff to support children’s specific vulnerabilities when they are working with them.

p.4

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

The home is led by an experienced manager, who is working towards their level 5 qualification. The introduction of a new deputy manager and independent visitor is Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 5 already contributing to improvements. A number of changes have already been made to recording and processes.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers have accepted children to the home without first exploring all information to ensure the home was operating within its registration. Processes for taking children in an emergency are not clear. Decisions have sometimes been taken very quickly without consideration of the training needs of staff.

p.5

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

Recruitment records were poor and disorganised. A member of staff whose Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check was no longer on the update service was appointed and was able to work in the home without a risk assessment as the lapse was not picked up by leaders and managers at the time. A subsequent clear DBS check was gained.

p.5

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

Training has been completed by staff on a wide variety of topics; however, training specific to the needs of children living in the home was not put in place quickly enough. In addition, although training in trauma was completed, the learning from this is not always reflected in written records. The language used to describe children and their experiences is not always caring.

p.5

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

Children’s needs and risks have not always been clearly documented or updated. Some records vary in quality. An updated statement of purpose was not shared with Ofsted. This means there has not been effective oversight, scrutiny or curiosity to ensure that records and reports are of a good standard.

p.5

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

A recommendation from the last inspection has been met. Improvements have been made to the timeliness of reports from the independent person.

p.5

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

Staff said managers are approachable and supportive. Staff morale is good. As a result, children benefit from a mainly consistent staff team that provides a sense of security and stability. Social work students are welcomed into the home for their placements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (2)(a)(b)) 1 July 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d)) 3 June 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and that risk assessments are updated. 3 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, they should ensure that staff receive appropriate training in relation to new children arriving at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that records relating to children are written in child-friendly language and that language used to describe children and their experiences is caring. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.7

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: 2782906 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Dalkeith Road, Ilford IG1 1JD

p.8

Inspector:

Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2782906 9 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.

p.8

Inspector:

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector:

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9