Children's Home run by Apsley Care Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 1 Registered provider: Apsley Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by an independent provider. It is registered to provide care for up to one child with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in March 2026. This is the first inspection of the home. There has been no enforcement action during this time.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitable qualified and registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 2

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Summary of findings

The child living at the home has not yet settled. While they have developed a positive relationship with the manager, relationships with the wider staff team are not yet consistently strong. There have been a number of serious incidents in recent months. Staff generally take appropriate action to safeguard the child; however, shortfalls were identified in the management and oversight of the home. Inconsistencies in staff practice have impacted on the child’s ability to feel safe and settled. Furthermore, the manager does not always provide clear or consistent direction to staff regarding how to care for the child and respond appropriately to risks. This lack of clarity has contributed to variation in practice.

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improvement to be good

Following the child’s move into the home, staff have not ensured that the environment consistently meets their needs. The child’s bedroom is not a warm, personalised or welcoming space. A lack of appropriate storage has resulted in the child’s belongings being kept in boxes in the living room. Staff have not supported the child to maintain a clean and safe bedroom, including removing items that may pose a risk. As a result, the child does not experience their living space as safe, nurturing or reflective of their identity, which impacts their sense of comfort and belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not ensured that they have a full understanding of the child’s background and experiences. Key information was not obtained before the child moved into the home, and insufficient curiosity has limited staff insight into the child’s emotional and mental health needs. As a result, care is not consistently responsive, and opportunities to understand and reduce risk are missed. This leaves the child without consistently informed care and contributes to instability in their experiences.

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improvement to be good

The lack of clear and consistent guidance for staff has led to variable responses to the child’s needs. Staff are not consistently supported to understand how best to respond to the child’s presentation, including their emotional and mental health needs. The skills of the staff team, including those of mental health professionals, are not being fully used. Consequently, the child does not receive the level of targeted, therapeutic support they require, which limits progress and contributes to ongoing difficulties.

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improvement to be good

While staff have supported the child to spend time with people who are important to them, there is insufficient oversight of these arrangements. Time with family members has not been clearly agreed with social care, meaning safeguards are not fully understood or consistently applied. This creates uncertainty regarding the safety and appropriateness of these arrangements for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 3 Staff have not prioritised building consistent, meaningful relationships with the child. One-to-one time is not happening regularly, and staff are not proactive in engaging the child in conversations or activities. The child has said that they do not feel well listened to. In addition, staff have not encouraged the child to take part in activities or education, which increases their social isolation and limits opportunities to build positive relationships and develop routines. As a result, the child has not developed a sense of

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improvement to be good

belonging and remains unsettled in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child is not frequently held by staff. However, when physical intervention has been used, records are unclear and do not specify the type of hold used or how the child experienced it. In addition, staff do not complete physical intervention records when the child is restrained by other professionals, such as the police, even when this occurs in the home. This lack of oversight prevents staff and managers from evaluating whether interventions are safe and proportionate. As a result, there are missed opportunities to learn, improve practice and ensure the child’s experiences of being held are understood and minimised.

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improvement to be good

When the child has made allegations, staff have ensured that these are taken seriously and shared with appropriate professionals. However, the manager’s internal investigation has not been sufficiently thorough. It does not demonstrate professional curiosity about the specific concerns raised or the actions of staff involved. As a result, opportunities to fully understand the child’s lived experience and strengthen safeguarding practice are missed. While the manager has listened to the child’s wishes regarding a staff member and made adjustments, the lack of robust exploration may limit the child’s confidence that their concerns are fully understood and addressed. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans contain some individualised information. However, they do not include all known risks.

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improvement to be good

While staff consistently carry ligature cutters in line with agreed safety measures, this is not recorded in the child’s plans. This omission increases the risk that newer or less familiar staff may not respond effectively in high-risk situations, potentially placing the child at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand their responsibilities in relation to the child’s deprivation of liberty order and follow agreed observation levels. Managers respond appropriately to increased risk by adjusting staffing levels. However, these changes are not consistently reflected in the child’s plans. This creates a disconnect between agreed strategies and recorded guidance, which can lead to inconsistency in care and uncertainty for the child.

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improvement to be good

When the child is missing from home, staff follow procedures and make appropriate efforts to locate and return them safely. Attempts are made to speak with the child following incidents, and managers support staff to reflect. Staff also respond Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 4 appropriately to incidents of self-harm, acting quickly to seek medical advice and involve specialist services.

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improvement to be good

Professionals recognise the complexity of the child’s needs and that they remain unsettled in the home. However, the frequency and severity of incidents have reduced. While this indicates some progress, the ongoing inconsistencies in staff practice and gaps in oversight mean that the child is not yet experiencing consistently safe, stable or well-coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no effective or up-to-date system in place to monitor staff training. The manager has not prioritised staff learning or ensured that relevant mandatory training was completed before the child moved into the home. As a result, some staff have not undertaken essential training, such as safeguarding, for over a year. This means the manager cannot be assured that staff have the necessary skills, knowledge or confidence to safely meet the child’s complex needs. Consequently, the child is cared for by staff who may not be fully equipped to recognise and respond to risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have used team meetings to raise concerns and share learning. However, the manager has not followed these up with clear guidance or implemented agreed approaches, particularly in relation to daily routines and house rules. This lack of direction has resulted in inconsistent staff practice, which has been identified by a number of stakeholders. As a result, the child experiences inconsistency in care, which undermines their sense of stability and makes it more difficult for them to feel secure and settled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Registered nurses working at the home have not received supervision since the home became operational. Although a professional has been identified to provide clinical supervision, nurses have expressed concerns about their suitability. It is therefore unclear whether supervision arrangements meet professional registration requirements. The manager has not put interim supervision in place, despite the complexity of incidents in the home. This lack of professional support limits opportunities for reflection, learning and safe clinical decision-making, which may impact the quality of care the child receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that changes to safety arrangements are consistently recorded in the child’s plans. For example, changes to observation levels are not always reflected in risk assessments. In addition, there is not always agreement between managers about how risks should be managed. This lack of clarity creates confusion for staff and results in inconsistent responses to the child. As a result, the child does not receive consistent, predictable care, which is essential to help them feel safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

While the manager maintains oversight of incidents and key-work sessions and can identify areas for improvement in staff practice, systems to evaluate the child’s overall progress are not yet embedded. This means that it is not always clear how well the Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 5 child is doing or whether strategies are having a positive impact on their experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these shortfalls, staff are committed to the child and speak positively about wanting to support them. They say they feel supported by the manager and wider team. The manager has developed a trusting relationship with the child and is able to provide reassurance and help them to regulate their emotions. These strengths provide some stability for the child; however, they are undermined by the wider inconsistencies in leadership, guidance and oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 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

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;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are clear and detailed risk assessments in place that support staff to care effectively for the child and that all physical interventions experienced by the child (even if these are conducted by the police) are documented and reflected on by the manager and staff. 1 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 1 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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;

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure there are robust quality assurance and monitoring systems in place that are used regularly and recorded to improve standards of care at the home and offer clear guidance to staff. The manager must also ensure that staff are accessing relevant training regularly and are supervised by an appropriate person.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; 1 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 8 that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(i)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure they have all historical and current information from the placing local authority to develop a robust care plan for children before they move to the home. The manager must liaise with relevant professionals about agreed pans to keep children safe, including agreements for contact with family members.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure all areas of the home, including the child’s bedroom, are maintained to a good and clean standard and have enough storage. The manager must also ensure that repairs needed to the home occur in a timely way. The manager must also ensure that staff are engaging the child in educational and social activities to build positive working relationships and lessen social isolation. 1 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should 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)

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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: 2827912 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 Valentine Place, Stanground South, Peterborough PE2 8WG

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Sarah Tilbury, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2827912 11 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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