Children's Home run by Resicare Alliance Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 1 Registered provider: Resicare Alliance Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

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

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children contributed to the inspection and shared their views about the care they receive.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2025 Full Good 23/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Weaknesses in leadership oversight, safeguarding practice, recording and workforce development have reduced staff's capacity to consistently deliver good-quality care. While leaders have recognised these shortfalls and put improvement plans in place, these actions remain at an early stage and are not yet sufficiently embedded to demonstrate sustained improvement. Despite these challenges, children benefit from caring and committed staff who have developed positive and trusting relationships with them. Children have made progress in several areas, including education, emotional wellbeing and engagement in meaningful activities.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children's experiences have been adversely affected by a prolonged period of instability within the home. Frequent changes in leadership, staffing challenges, inconsistent management oversight and weaknesses in recording have reduced the consistency of care provided.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children's moves into the home have not been well managed. Staff did not complete a thorough assessment of one child's compatibility and known risks before the placement began, which left them unprepared to respond effectively. This reduced stability for both children at a time when they needed consistent routines and relationships. As a result, children experienced disruption, and staff were not able to provide the consistent, predictable care needed to promote stability and sustained progress.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently applied effective strategies to support children's needs or reduce risk. This has meant that, despite some individual progress, outcomes have not been sustained. One child has experienced increasing self-harming behaviours, influenced by family dynamics, uncertainty and inconsistencies in care. Another child continues to go missing from the home and experience emotional distress and vulnerability in the community. Although staff respond compassionately and work hard to support both children, current arrangements have not resulted in sustained reductions in risk or consistently improved outcomes.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children enjoy warm and trusting relationships with staff, who celebrate their achievements. Staff promote education, encourage participation in activities that reflect the children`s interests and provide emotional support. However, these strengths are outweighed by the cumulative impact of management instability, inconsistent oversight and weaknesses in practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice is not consistently effective. Three significant safeguarding incidents, including a serious self-harm incident, were not notified to Ofsted despite meeting the statutory threshold. This reduced independent scrutiny and delayed opportunities for external oversight to evaluate whether children were being adequately safeguarded. These weaknesses reduce confidence that safeguarding arrangements consistently protect children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children at risk of self-harm have detailed risk management plans. However, staff have not consistently implemented these agreed strategies in practice. This has meant that opportunities to reduce risk have been missed, resulting in children experiencing avoidable harm, including injuries requiring hospital treatment and one incident requiring emergency medical intervention. While risks are clearly identified, inconsistent application of care strategies has limited the home's ability to reduce harm effectively and keep children safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers have repeatedly identified weaknesses in safeguarding practice through team meetings and supervision. Recurring discussions regarding recording quality, medication management, safeguarding compliance and incident management demonstrate that learning has not been effectively embedded. This means that practice weaknesses continue to recur, increasing the likelihood of inconsistent responses to children's risks. Hence, children have not consistently benefited from safe and reliable safeguarding arrangements.

p.4

improvement to be good

Learning from significant incidents has not always resulted in strengthened practice. Although managers continue to strengthen risk management arrangements, these improvements are not yet consistently reflected in practice. For example, bedroom searches, environmental checks and arrangements for managing potentially harmful items have not consistently reflected lessons learned following previous incidents of self- harm. As a result, opportunities to reduce foreseeable risks have been missed, and children have remained exposed to avoidable harm.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently supported children to understand and manage their worries or reduce incidents of going missing from the home and self-harm. As a result, these risks have persisted over time. While staff respond promptly and show commitment to supporting children, current approaches have not led to sustained improvements in children's safety or wellbeing.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers have not consistently provided clear direction, guidance and support to ensure that practice is consistent. Changes in managers, staffing shortfalls and reliance on agency staff have meant that staff have not always had the stability or oversight needed to deliver consistent care. As a result, children have experienced Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 5 variability in how their care is provided, reducing their sense of stability and preventing consistently positive outcomes.

p.4

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

Management oversight is not sufficiently effective. Staff have not consistently followed agreed plans, maintained accurate records or implemented expected practice standards. Consequently, managers have not always identified or addressed poor practice quickly enough to improve children's experiences.

p.5

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

Leaders have not ensured that staff training is consistently up to date or that records are accurate, which means they cannot demonstrate that staff have the necessary skills to meet children's complex needs. In addition, leaders have not taken effective action to address known shortfalls in practice identified through monitoring.

p.5

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

Leaders have not ensured that supervision records are consistently maintained or accessible, due to changes in management and systems. This means there is insufficient oversight to confirm that staff have received regular supervision, challenge and accountability. Weak recording systems further limit leaders' ability to evaluate practice and make informed decisions.

p.5

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

Despite these weaknesses, staff describe the acting manager as visible, supportive and child focused. The responsible individual has identified strengths and areas for development and has begun to implement improvements. However, these actions are recent, and there is insufficient evidence that they have resulted in sustained improvements to children's experiences. Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff…

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 31 July 2026

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 31 Jul 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 31 July 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.7

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 20 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 8 a child protection enquiry involving a child —

p.7

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

p.8

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: 2737316 9

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider: Resicare Alliance Limited

p.9

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 147 Stamford Hill, London N16 5LG

p.9

Inspectors

Theresa Kambani, Social Care Inspector Daniel Sancto, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2737316 10 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.

p.9

Inspectors

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 .

p.10

Inspectors

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10