Children's Home run by Fosse Children Services Limited in Derby

Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 1 Registered provider: Fosse Children Services 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

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It offers care for up to 4 children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager since April 2026. The new manager started in post during the inspection and has not yet submitted an application to register.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home and contributed to the inspection.

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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. Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 2

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff understand children's needs and support positive relationships with children. However, the care and support provided to children are not yet consistent and impact on their overall progress and outcomes. Management oversight of the home is inconsistent, but is beginning to improve with additional oversight from senior leaders. While staff understand children's risks and vulnerabilities, safeguarding practice is not consistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff develop positive relationships with children and understand their needs, likes and dislikes well. Staff support children's independence relevant to their individual needs and understanding. However, interactions with children are not consistently recorded to evidence children's progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to live alongside one another and, for some children, this is the first time this has been achieved for a significant period. Staff also ensure that children take part in activities inside and outside of the home, supporting their social and emotional development.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children see their families regularly. They welcome parents to visit the home and be part of their child's routines, promoting a natural, family environment. The deputy manager has worked hard to develop positive working relationships with children's families.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend and engage in education, allowing children to maintain their previous school placements from before they moved into the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children's communication needs. However, children do not consistently have access to their identified communication aids and materials to support their communication with staff.

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improvement to be good

When considering children moving into the home, leaders and managers have ensured that transition plans are flexible and responsive to children's individual needs. Children's parents and social workers reported poor communication regarding the plans for additional children to move into the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children's risks, behaviours and vulnerabilities. Staff use de-escalation strategies that are individual to children's needs, which have supported a reduction in Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 3 incidents for some children. When physical intervention has been used, staff have ensured that the use has been reasonable and proportionate to promote children's safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not understand deprivation of liberty safeguards in place for children. For one child, the safeguarding arrangements were not recorded in the child's care plan or known by staff. Leaders and managers have not considered how children's individual deprivation of liberty safeguards may impact on other children.

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improvement to be good

Children's support plans are not consistently implemented, which leads to confusion around staff's supervision of children. Staff report inconsistent responses regarding the supervision and monitoring of children. For one child, this led to an incident where they were able to leave the home unsupervised, which was against their care plan. Leaders and managers have completed an investigation into the incident and report that learning was identified.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers failed to notify Ofsted of a serious incident, preventing regulatory oversight. The manager's recorded oversight and evaluation of incident records are inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not routinely speak to children following an incident. On occasions, staff have assumed that children's communication styles have prevented effective engagement. Similarly, staff who are involved in an incident are not consistently spoken to and provided with opportunities to reflect on them.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that medical attention is sought following a child sustaining injuries or self- injurious behaviours. However, the recording of this is not consistently completed.

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

Staff report improved support from leaders and managers in recent weeks. Staff value the increased presence of senior leaders in the home in the absence of a registered manager.

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

Staff receive regular supervisions, which are reflective and supportive in nature. Staff describe team meetings as helpful and provide opportunities to share and reflect on practice.

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

Staff receive a wide range of training that is specific to children's individual and complex needs. Leaders have secured refresher and additional specialist training to support staff's confidence in identified areas of practice.

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

Professionals working within children's networks report inconsistent and poor communication from managers. However, this has begun to improve in recent weeks following improved oversight from senior managers. Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 4 Leaders and managers have completed a review of the care and support provided to children and developed an action plan to address areas with shortfalls. Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 5

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand children's deprivation of liberty safeguards and work with these to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there are clear expectations in place regarding the supervision and monitoring of children, and that they are consistently implemented by staff. 30 June 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

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; 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is consistent and meaningful oversight of safeguarding practice, including review and oversight of incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children and staff are spoken to and consulted with following an incident.

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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

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children's preferred communication aids and methods are readily available and easily accessible to children. 30 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 2 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 7

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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: 2868926 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Fosse Children Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 59-61 Charlotte Street, St Paul's Square, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1PX

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Inspectors

Chloe Harvey, Social Care Inspector Rachael Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2868926 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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