Children's Home run by Niche Care Homes Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 1 Registered provider: Niche Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in January 2026. It provides care for up to 4 children aged between 10 and 16 years who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The previously existing home and manager registered as a new provider in January 2026 due to a change in ownership.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a separately registered school on site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 2

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Summary of findings

Staff have positive relationships with the children and encourage them to express their views. Staff support the children to access a range of activities in line with their interests. On occasion, behaviour management plans have not been followed by staff, which has led to an increased risk. While general leadership in the home is good overall, management oversight has occasionally been delayed and has not always identified shortfalls in staff practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. Two children lived at the home before it re-registered, and one child has moved in since. All the children were seen and spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to share ideas about changes in the home. One child proudly showed the inspector recent developments, including a firepit they helped staff to build. This engagement of the children in plans for their home helps them feel a sense of pride.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive relationships with the children, helping the children build trust in them. The inspector observed positive interactions between staff and children during the inspection. A parent said, ‘Staff are very caring, you can tell they genuinely care.’ These trusting relationships help staff to encourage children to discuss sensitive topics. Staff are creative in ways they address areas of risk and concern with children. This helps children speak openly and learn from experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in their education. Some children attend the on-site school provision and are making good progress. Staff advocate for the best interests of the children. For one child, this ensured that they received the support they needed to attend a mainstream provision. This has resulted in the child consistently attending school and making significant progress with learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to have fun and take part in different activities in line with their interests. Staff and children have enjoyed days out together. During the inspection, the children went for walks, picnics, shopping and out on a bike ride with staff. This active lifestyle supports the children’s health and wellbeing and provides enjoyable opportunities for staff and children to strengthen their relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make progress from their individual starting points. For example, one child’s risk of self-harm has reduced, and the child is now using safer and effective strategies to manage their emotions. This helps children feel a sense of achievement. One professional told the inspector, ‘[Child’s name] struggles with emotional regulation and having a ‘good’ day, but staff understood [child’s name] in a short space of time.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 3 Staff have locked the utility cupboard following concerns raised for the safety of one child. Despite an assessment in place, other children’s independence is restricted as they have to request access to the cupboard with adult supervision.

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improvement to be good

Some children have made progress in keeping safe due to the help and support of staff. However, the staff and manager have not always understood their core roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. While managers oversight is generally detailed about the events that have occurred, the manager has not always shown suitable professional curiosity to identify the shortfalls in staff practice identified by the inspector.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child disclosed historical abuse to staff; however, this was not acted on quickly. The manager did not promptly report the disclosure to the child’s social worker due to it being the weekend. Staff made several enquires with the child’s social worker once they returned to work. However, they did not notify the police until instructed to do so by the child’s social worker a significant length of time later from when the disclosure was first made.

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviour management plans have not always been kept up to date to reflect their changing needs, and staff have not always followed the plans. On one occasion, the staff stayed with a child who was hurting themselves. However, they failed to follow direction from the child’s behaviour management plan to intervene. This was a significant incident in which the child became unresponsive and medical attention was required. On another occasion, medical attention was not sought for a child who had ingested a substance that could potentially have affected their wellbeing. Staff cared for and monitored the child. However, they did not follow the behaviour management plan in place, which identified the need to seek medical attention.

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improvement to be good

Staff prevented one child from handling their daily asthma medication following a concern. However, there is no record that medical advice or consent from the social worker was sought to adapt the way in which this medication is administered.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in missing-from-home episodes. Staff work closely with the wider professional network when children go missing. This approach has helped children return safely.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used as a last resort. Staff use distraction and redirection techniques to de-escalate heightened emotions. This supports children to regulate their emotions in a positive way.

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improvement to be good

Staff are directed in how to manage difficult situations by clear risk management plans. Staff encourage the children to contribute their views to these. This empowers children to participate in decisions about their care. Consequently, the guidance for staff is child focused. Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The suitably qualified and experienced manager originally registered with Ofsted in 2024 in respect of this home. The home recently re-registered due to a change of company ownership. Staff feel well supported by the manager and the responsible individual. One member of staff spoke positively about their experience working at the home and said, ‘The managers are all lovely people; it is hard not to feel supported.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers monitor staff recruitment and ensure that safer recruitment processes are in place. This helps to keep children safe from unsuitable people seeking to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds regular team meetings that focus on delivering relevant information to the staff about children’s care and experiences. The manager involves staff in children’s moves into the home and ensures that they understand their needs and risks. A team meeting was held before one child moved into the home to ensure that staff were informed of current risks and relevant information. This approach helps staff to understand the best way to support children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff receive regular and suitable reflective supervision. Supervision includes discussions regarding staff development, wellbeing and challenges at the home. The manager facilitates additional development sessions for staff when a need is identified. This helps ensure that staff are consistently learning and are equipped to best support children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of suitable training that helps them meet the children’s individual needs. Leaders and managers are creative in identifying resources and training programmes that can be used to educate staff. This supports learning and awareness of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff employed by the company has not attained their relevant level 3 qualification within the required time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While management monitoring and oversight are generally appropriate, there are some shortfalls. On occasion, the manager has not provided sufficient oversight and review nor demonstrated suitable professional curiosity in respect of incidents that have occurred. Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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

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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)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

disclosures made by children are escalated to the relevant professionals in the wider network promptly. This includes reporting to police if information is shared that suggests an offence may have been committed;

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Requirement Due date

written consent is obtained from the child’s social worker when decisions are made around restricting the child’s access to medication; 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 6 staff consistently follow care plans to reduce the risk of harm to children and seek medical attention when required.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(h)) 30 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 7 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are kept up to date. Children’s plans should reflect the most up-to-date information to guide staff on how Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 7 to best support them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet their needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: 2872001 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Niche Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Police Station, West Square, Maldon, Essex CM9 5AL

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Inspector

Sophie Levy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2872001 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 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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