Children's Home run by Berry Gifford Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 1 Registered provider: Berry Gifford 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 a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since March 2026 and has applied to register 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. The child spoke with the inspector during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2025 Full Good 06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/05/2024 Full Inadequate 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 3

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Summary of findings

Children’s experiences and progress are inadequate due to serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice, care planning and management oversight. Insufficient staff and management training and experience have impacted negatively on children’s safety, wellbeing and progress. The home environment is not consistently safe, welcoming or well maintained. Children’s health and education needs are not effectively promoted. Safeguarding practice is inadequate. Responses to self-injury, missing-from-home incidents, online risks and allegations are ineffective. Staff do not have the skills to support children to safely manage their emotions and behaviour. Leaders and managers lack effective oversight, resulting in poor monitoring and a failure to identify, address and escalate serious concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress are significantly affected by shortfalls in how well they are helped and protected and ineffective oversight by leaders and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has lived in this home since March 2026. Four other children have moved in and out of the home since the previous inspection. Children’s moves into the home are poorly planned. Leaders and managers do not suitably consider children’s needs and vulnerabilities or whether staff have the experience and skills to meet their needs before they move in. This has impacted negatively on children’s safety and progress in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s moves out of the home are not always planned. One child left the home at short notice after the police were called to assist due to staff not having the skills to safely help the child when they were distressed. Another child’s move out of the home was not recorded, and therefore the reason and date of the move are unclear. This means that children do not always have positive endings and that there have been missed opportunities to learn from unplanned endings and improve future practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff and managers do not ensure that the home is cleaned and maintained to a good standard. One bathroom was covered in mould and there was visible damage throughout the home, including badly repaired holes in walls and broken cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. The garden shed was not secure and contained items that could pose a risk to children. One communal wall had profanities written on it. This does not provide a welcoming or nurturing environment for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff lack aspiration and ambition for the child living in the home. The child is not currently receiving any form of education. This has not been escalated by the manager. Staff do not support the child to take part in educational activities in line with their personal education plan. In addition, staff fail to ensure that the child has age- Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 4 appropriate routines in place, and they are often awake throughout during the night. This does not support the child to take part in daily life or ensure they are ready to take part in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are not consistently met. When one child was significantly unwell and had an injury after becoming intoxicated, staff did not seek medical attention. This shortfall was not addressed by the manager. One child has not had consistent access to important medication, as the manager did not ensure that medication was reordered on time. This has the potential to impact negatively on the child’s health and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child in the home shared mixed views about staff. They said they could speak to some staff about their worries. However, they felt that other staff deliberately sought to upset them.

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

Staff and managers do not take effective action to safeguard children. Managers do not consistently identify shortfalls in staff practice that leave children at risk of harm.

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

Managers do not ensure that staff are provided with guidance and training on how to support children when they are distressed. As a result, children receive an inconsistent response from staff. This means that the child living in the home continues to be at risk of harming themselves and others. Staff have called the police on multiple occasions for assistance when children are upset or angry as they do not have the skills to support children appropriately.

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

On one occasion, staff locked doors to prevent a child accessing communal areas of the home during an incident. This action and the rationale behind it were not recorded or reviewed. It is therefore not clear if this restriction was a proportionate or appropriate response to risk in the moment.

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

It is unclear how often restraint is used by staff to manage heightened situations as the use of restraint is not always recorded. Records of restraint are of poor quality and are incomplete in places. Therefore, it is not possible to assess if restraint has been used proportionately. One child sustained bruising following a restraint; however, at the time of the inspection, the manager was not aware of these injuries and the child’s local authority had not been informed. Staff and children are not always spoken with after a restraint is used, and one member of staff used restraint despite not having up-to-date training. This does not ensure that restraint is used safely and proportionately and that learning is taken from incidents to improve practice and reduce the use of physical intervention.

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

Staff and managers do not understand the risks that the internet can pose to children. The child living in the home has unrestricted access to the internet and a mobile phone. They often communicate with strangers online and share information about themselves Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 5 publicly. The child has not been spoken with about the risks this could pose. This does not keep children safe from online harm.

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

Staff do not always take action to prevent children going missing from the home. One child was able to leave the home unnoticed during the night because staff did not follow their safety plan. At other times, staff have had no guidance to prevent children going missing or guidance on what action to take when they do. This means that children have gone missing from the home and that prompt action has not been taken to ensure they return home. On one occasion, this led to a child becoming heavily intoxicated while out in the community. These shortfalls have not been addressed by the manager to improve future practice. The child currently living in the home has not gone missing; however, there is no guidance in place for staff on the actions they should take if the child does go missing.

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

When children raise concerns about staff practice, their concerns are not robustly addressed. Children are not always informed of the outcome of their concern or supported to repair the relationship with staff. Managers have not informed Ofsted about allegations against staff in line with regulations and they have not ensured that the child’s placing local authority has been notified about concerns promptly. This limits external oversight of the home.

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

The child in the home has unrestricted access to a vape, and vapes inside the home because staff fail to put in appropriate boundaries and challenge these behaviours. This could negatively impact the child’s health and could pose a potential fire hazard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are not effective. Their oversight of the care and safety of the children is inadequate. The previous registered manager left their role in August 2025. Since this time, there have been 2 managers in post. The current manager began their role in March 2026. They do not provide the staff with the guidance required to keep children safe from harm, meet their basic needs or keep them safe. This prevents children from making progress. The manager does not have a good understanding of the regulatory requirements of managing a home, resulting in too many shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual does not have sufficient oversight of the home. They have completed regular audits, but these are of poor quality and have not identified the shortfalls found during this inspection. This means that not enough action has been taken to identify or address concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to ensure that staff understand what is expected of them in order for them to meet children’s needs and keep children safe. Children’s support and safety plans fail to identify significant areas of children’s vulnerabilities and how these should be managed. Staff have no guidance at all. This impacts negatively on the consistency, safety and quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 6 Leaders and managers do not ensure that they or the staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of the children who live in this home. Only one member of staff has an appropriate formal qualification. Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the required training to meet children’s known needs. Until very recently, no staff had up-to-date first-aid training. As a result of multiple shortfalls in training, staff have struggled to manage children’s vulnerabilities and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have regular supervision. However, this does not always consider areas where practice needs to be improved. In addition, when staff express concerns about how their role is affecting their wellbeing, this not addressed by managers. This does not ensure that staff are supported with the emotional impact of their work. Team meetings take place regularly. However, they are not used to reflect on significant incidents or develop and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured compliance with regulations when completing the review of the quality of care. The report does not identify key areas for improvement and does not consider the views of children. This limits the manager’s ability to understand and improve the quality of care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the concerns identified at this inspection, a notice restricting accommodation was issued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 7

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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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; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 8 that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi) and (vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the guidance to take effective action to reduce risks to children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities and have the skills to protect children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the home is maintained to avoid hazards to children’s health.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 9 research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that management oversight and monitoring and review systems are robust and effective.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should implement any learning following incidents to improve staff practice and the quality of care for children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff are skilled, trained and qualified to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 10 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 11 provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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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)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that the home is clean and well maintained.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff provide children with clear boundaries and routines.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and 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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 12 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;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s moves into and out of the home are planned effectively.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 13 help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the children’s personal education plans are followed. They must ensure that they challenge external agencies effectively when children are not receiving any educational provision.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being; that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(c)) 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 14 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children have access to prescribed medication. They must ensure that prompt medical treatment is sought when children are unwell.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff ensure that children can access all shared areas of the home. If access is limited, the rationale should be recorded and kept under review. (‘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: 2541440 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mercury Park, Amber Close, Tamworth B77 4RP

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Inspector

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2541440 16 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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