Children's Home run by Sevello Children’s Homes Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2860073 1 Registered provider: Sevello Children’s Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in October 2025. This was the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025. She also manages another home.

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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 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: 2860073 2

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Summary of findings

Children are starting to settle into the home and benefit from positive, trusting relationships with a dedicated staff team. Children enjoy a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home. They attend full-time education that is tailored to their needs. Staff encourage structure and daily routine. Leaders and managers know the children well and are strong advocates for them. Children experience warm care and live in a friendly, supportive home. This helps them feel safe and supports them to build resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. They both took part in the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and well maintained throughout. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their tastes, which helps them to develop a sense of ownership. There are photos of children doing activities displayed on the walls. Children benefit from a playroom with age-appropriate toys. This creates a nurturing family atmosphere that supports children’s sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care that reflects their interests and preferences. Staff know the children well and have quickly established trusting, caring relationships with them. Staff are warm and playful and offer nurturing support. This provides children with a strong and secure foundation that is contributing to their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give lots of thought to opportunities for children, based on their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy a wide range of activities, including trips to the local park, a visit to London, swimming and activities with friends in the community. Staff create enjoyable activities at the home to meet children’s creative needs, for example building dens, and imaginative play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are succeeding at school. They attend full-time education tailored to their educational needs. One child boards at their education provision during term-time. The manager is involved in social activities for the school as a parent would be. She builds positive relationships and is part of the school community. Education professionals noted that staff attendance at end-of-term activities demonstrated an impressive level of support for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is well supported. Staff are working to build positive relationships with families. They recognise the importance of maintaining family connections for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2860073 3 Children’s voices are sought at monthly meetings and in informal daily conversations. However, the language used in records do not show that the age and cognitive ability of children have been considered.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children’s needs, including their strengths and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are detailed and regularly reviewed and include clear support strategies. This means children receive consistent care.

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

Staff are proactive in keeping children safe, even in challenging situations. Since the home opened, there have been a high number of physical restraints. However, physical restraint is only used when staff have exhausted all other options to help children manage their safety. Staff help the children understand why these steps are required.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted through reward and incentive systems. Staff record achievements and share encouraging comments with children, using positive phrases such as ‘so proud of you’ and ‘you are doing great’, showing a focus on children’s achievements. Children’s acts of kindness and thoughtful gestures are consistently noticed and celebrated by staff.

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

Care plans are of good quality. They are child focused, regularly reviewed and provide clear guidance to staff. However, daily records, incident reports and records of key-work sessions are not consistently written in a child-friendly manner. Staff use language that is not always helpful to children.

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

Consequences are not always proportionate or age appropriate. They do not always clearly promote learning or consistently align with the home’s therapeutic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent, qualified manager. She is supported by an enthusiastic deputy manager. They work well together and have a strong desire to achieve positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager knows the children well. She is ambitious and has clear plans for the home’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a warm, relational culture that reflects the values set by the manager. Her commitment to the children and staff is evident, and this contributes to a supportive staff team. Team members speak warmly about their roles and the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and supportive supervision. Staff morale is high. Staff say the manager and deputy are ‘amazing’ and they have made it a great environment to work in. Staff said that the manager and deputy are really invested in the children and staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2860073 4 External professionals provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the care and support that children receive. They highlight strong partnership working and good communication from the manager and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are committed to building positive relationships in the local community. They promote open and respectful communication and address concerns promptly. This strengthens neighbours’ confidence in the home’s presence in the community. Children feel more welcome and are integrated into the local community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2860073 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that information about the child is always 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)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to children’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children

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Recommendations

should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2860073 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sevello Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1C, The Gattinetts, Hadleigh Road, East Bergholt, Colchester CO7 6QT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Robertson

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Inspector

Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2860073 7 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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