Children's Home run by Ruby Lodge Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 1 Registered provider: Ruby Lodge Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to 4 children with learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. The inspector met and spoke with both children.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 October 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from warm, nurturing relationships with the adults in the home, who know them well and provide consistent, child-centred care. They feel safe, valued and supported to make good progress from their starting points.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding practice is effective, with risks identified and managed appropriately through vigilant staff practice and strong multi-agency working.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have driven improvements, creating a stable service that is committed to continuous development. Effective monitoring, investment in resources and workforce development have strengthened outcomes for children.

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Summary of findings

While care planning and recording practices require some further refinement, these shortfalls do not detract from the overall positive experiences and progress children achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience warm and nurturing care that promotes a sense of belonging and wellbeing. Ongoing improvements to the environment demonstrate a commitment to providing a welcoming setting. Children benefit from personalised bedrooms, well- maintained indoor and outdoor spaces, and surroundings that reflect their individuality, achievements and interests. As a result, children feel safe, valued and settled, enabling them to develop positive relationships and make good progress in their day-to-day lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and trusting relationships with adults who know them well and consistently provide support that is responsive to their individual needs. Staff have a good understanding of children’s experiences, vulnerabilities and emotional needs, helping them to manage difficult feelings, build resilience and develop confidence. Consequently, children increasingly seek support from trusted adults and experience greater emotional stability and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in developing age-appropriate independence skills that prepare them for adulthood. Staff support children to learn practical life skills, including budgeting, shopping and meal preparation, while encouraging them to make informed decisions and develop positive relationships. Although opportunities to encourage children to advocate for themselves have not been fully maximised, children continue to make progress in developing confidence, independence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for moving out has not always been sufficiently effective, resulting in some missed opportunities to fully prepare children for adulthood and future moves. However, leaders have recognised these shortfalls and have taken action to strengthen arrangements. Learning from previous experiences has informed improvements to care Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 4 planning processes, leading to more thoughtful and child-centred moves into the home that better support children to settle, feel secure and achieve positive outcomes.

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

Children benefit from effective safeguarding practice that promotes their safety and wellbeing. Safeguarding concerns are identified and responded to appropriately, and the low number of serious incidents demonstrates that risks are generally well managed. As a result, children experience stability and are supported to feel safe in their day-to-day lives.

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

Staff demonstrate professional curiosity and remain vigilant to changes in children’s presentation, behaviour and emotional wellbeing. They know children well and respond promptly when concerns arise. Staff acted promptly when concerns were identified regarding a child’s medication dosage, enabling professionals to review the child’s needs and gain a better understanding of factors affecting their emotional wellbeing, behaviour and mental health. Consequently, children receive support that is responsive to their changing needs.

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

Partnership working with external professionals is effective and contributes to positive safeguarding outcomes for children. Timely information-sharing, appropriate escalation of concerns and constructive professional challenge help ensure that children receive the right support when concerns arise. This collaborative approach strengthens safeguarding arrangements and promotes children’s welfare.

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

Risk assessments are detailed, regularly reviewed and reflect children’s known vulnerabilities and presenting risks. However, the volume of separate documents has the potential to reduce clarity and consistency for staff. In addition, the language used is not always child-friendly, limiting opportunities for children to fully understand and contribute to plans designed to keep them safe.

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

Children who go missing from care are responded to appropriately, with staff taking prompt action to locate them and reduce potential harm. Allegations are managed in line with safeguarding procedures, ensuring that concerns are investigated appropriately and children remain protected. These arrangements demonstrate a strong commitment to safeguarding children and promoting their ongoing safety and wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have successfully driven improvements, resulting in a stable, structured and child-focused service. Children benefit from increased consistency in the care they receive and improved day-to-day experiences. A clear vision for improvement is understood by staff, with leaders providing effective guidance, support and direction that has contributed to positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of the service’s strengths and areas for development. Shortfalls are identified and addressed through purposeful action planning, Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 5 creating a culture of continuous improvement. Increased investment in resources and the environment further demonstrates leaders’ commitment to meeting children’s needs and enhancing the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Newly embedded monitoring and oversight arrangements enable leaders to evaluate practice, identify emerging issues and implement timely improvements. Quality assurance systems have been introduced and promote accountability, reflection and learning across the staff team. As a result, children benefit from a service that is ambitious for their progress and continually seeks to improve outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Workforce development is a priority. Leaders ensure that staff have access to relevant training, support and professional development opportunities that equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to meet children’s diverse needs. Reflective leadership and a willingness to learn from previous challenges have strengthened practice and contributed to improved standards of care. However, not all staff receive regular practice-related supervision where they can reflect on children’s care and experiences sufficiently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from staff and professionals is overwhelmingly positive. Staff describe feeling well supported and valued by leaders, which contributes to a motivated and committed workforce. Professionals speak positively about communication and partnership working, with one social worker describing communication as excellent and highlighting the effectiveness of transition planning, which enabled a child to settle quickly and successfully into their new living arrangement. While leadership oversight is generally strong, the quality of care review was not completed and submitted to Ofsted within required timescales. However, this has not detracted from leaders’ overall capacity to drive improvement and maintain positive outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are adequately prepared to move on from the home and have everything in place they need when approaching adulthood, including relevant identification and a bank account. 11 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular practice-related supervision to allow staff to learn and grow in their roles. 11 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person must have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in regulation 45 at least once every six months. The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2822638 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit A, 82 James Carter Rd, Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7DE

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822638 9 regulates 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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