Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Limited – The White Trees Group in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 1 Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited – The White Trees Group

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager left their post in April 2026. A new manager has been appointed; however, she has not submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2025 Full Good 03/07/2024 Full Good 02/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 3

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Summary of findings

Despite some children making progress, the shortfalls identified have reduced the overall quality of care provided to children.

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Summary of findings

The management of the home has not been effective. This includes failing to make sure that staff can meet children's identified needs when they come to live in the home. This means that a high number of children have left the home because staff could not meet their needs.

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Summary of findings

A new manager and compliance officer have recently joined the home. They have identified various areas that require development and have taken some action to address these areas. This is in the early stages of being implemented.

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Summary of findings

Shortfalls in the safety of children and management oversight have resulted in an overall judgement of requires improvement to be good.

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Summary of findings

One child was living at the home during the inspection. They contributed to the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 4 children have moved into the home and 7 children have moved out. Two children who had lived in the home for a considerable time moved out in a planned way.

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improvement to be good

Children have not received consistent and well-planned care in line with the home's therapeutic model of care. As a result, 5 children left the home in an unplanned way because staff could not meet their complex needs.

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improvement to be good

Planning for children coming to live in the home has been poor. Despite concerns being raised to senior managers that the staff did not have the skills to meet one child's complex needs, the child still moved in. The needs of the children already living at the home were not fully considered. As a result, all the children experienced significant disruption to their care.

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improvement to be good

Reviews by leaders and managers of the unplanned endings do not acknowledge that assessment, planning and a lack of staff training contributed to children having to leave in unplanned ways. The reports are written in a child-blaming way and do not identify any learning.

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improvement to be good

The staff have not consistently provided children with clear structure and routine. This has meant that some children have not been helped to make progress in line with their Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 4 identified targets, including accessing education. Managers have recently increased their support for staff through modelling and coaching. This has helped to build the staff's confidence, and they are beginning to offer nurturing care to children. This has helped the child living at the home to engage in daily routines, including educational activities.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to enjoy activities that are suited to their interests. Children have been supported to visit the gym, go swimming and attend parties. This has created opportunities for children to meet other children of a similar age.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk about children with kindness. They are reflective about the challenges that both they and the children have faced. The staff are eager to provide a good level of care for children.

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improvement to be good

The home is very well presented, with ample space for children to enjoy. This extends to the large, well-maintained garden. The bedrooms have been freshly decorated ready for children to move into the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed guidance designed to keep children safe. There has been one significant incident relating to medication that had the potential to cause significant harm to a child. A large amount of medication was made available to the child without the required level of oversight by staff, despite this being a known risk. Staff missed opportunities to identify this error in a timely way, and this meant a delay in the error being reported. Leaders and managers have taken action to reduce the likelihood of further errors. This includes retraining the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Allegations made by children have not always been managed by senior managers in line with the company policy. One child made an allegation of harm by a member of staff. Despite this allegation being reported to a senior leader in a timely way, the staff member continued to work alone with the child. The allegation was reported to the local authority designated officer and appropriately investigated by senior managers. However, this was not shared with the regulator. This meant that the regulator did not have an opportunity to have adequate oversight.

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improvement to be good

The staff complete room searches to help keep children safe. These searches are generally proportionate and carried out sensitively. On one occasion, 3 staff conducted a search of a child's bedroom, searching for an item that the staff had already found some days earlier. This resulted in the child becoming extremely upset. This search was not necessary nor completed in a child-focused way.

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improvement to be good

The children have complex needs, including missing-from-home and exploitation risks. When children go missing from home, staff look for them and work with the police to help children return quickly and safely. However, on one occasion, staff did not show enough curiosity and intervene when changes in children's behaviour were recognised, Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 5 indicating that children were planning to go missing from home. Subsequently, children went missing for a brief period before being safely returned to the home by the police.

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improvement to be good

Staff use consequences to help children learn about their behaviour. These consequences are child focused and restorative in nature. This includes working alongside the youth offending team for one child to make sure they are using a restorative approach.

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improvement to be good

Safety plans for children did not identify their vulnerabilities and the support they needed. Plans were not trauma informed. Plans were often completed very close to the date that children move into the home. This meant that staff did not have the time to read and process the information. However, plans written by the new managers are detailed, child focused and reviewed regularly.

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improvement to be good

Professionals said that there is a very good level of multi-agency work by staff. Leaders and managers escalate their concerns regarding children in a timely way. Leaders and managers have challenged other agencies if they feel the support to help manage children's risks is not sufficient. Information shared between professionals is recorded clearly and concisely by the staff.

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improvement to be good

When children have become unwell, staff have taken appropriate action to seek medical advice. The children have regular access to a private GP, along with therapists from the company's wellbeing team.

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improvement to be good

The staff offer children regular time to share their wishes and feelings and reflect on challenges. Most reports detailing these conversations are written in a child-focused way.

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

The registered manager left their post in April 2026. A new manager and compliance officer were appointed in May 2026. Together, they are beginning to make the necessary changes to ensure that the children receive good care.

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

Staff have felt exhausted and not able to offer children the emotional support they need. Concerns regarding the lack of support and direction for the staff and the low staff morale were not recognised by senior leaders. Consequently, there has been a high staff turnover. Direct action to address this was taken after the compliance manager started in post.

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

Leaders and managers' oversight of staff's performance and the development of staff's practice have not been effective. The majority of staff have not had supervisions and appraisals in line with the company policy. Some staff reported being asked to write their own supervisions. This means that they were not provided with the time and space to discuss their role, any concerns they had, or to learn from poor practice.

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

The review of the quality of care is detailed and self-critical, with targeted actions to address some shortfalls. However, managers have not picked up on patterns and trends Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 6 highlighted across this and previous reports. Reports continue to be submitted late to Ofsted.

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

The compliance officer has completed a reflective case review with the previous manager. This acknowledges strengthening the wider operational monitoring, along with the independent monitoring of the home, to guarantee support and direction for leaders and managers. This will provide greater assurance that areas of concern are quickly identified and addressed.

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

The staff now have access to a comprehensive array of training and development opportunities. Many staff are new. They feel that the training and support they receive is informative and helpful.

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

The staff recognise the impact of the new management team. They feel well supported and are excited for the home's future under their leadership. Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 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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Requirements Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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Requirements 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)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 2 July 2026

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

promotes their welfare. 6 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirements Due date

(Regulation (13) (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirements Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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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Requirements Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed.

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Requirements Due date

(Regulation (14) (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (c)) 3 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 9 The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirements Due date

provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirements Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirements Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirements Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirements Due date

(Regulation (33) (1) (2)(a) (4)(a)(b)(c)) 13 August 2026

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirements Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirements Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirements Due date

(Regulation (45) (1) (3) (4)(a)) 28 November 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 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: 2661812 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited – The White Trees Group

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Old Snap Factory, Twyford Road, Bishops Stortford CM23 3LJ

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Inspector

Lexi Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2661812 12 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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