Children's Home run by Arnfield Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 1 Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated and provides care and support for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home. All the children spoke with inspectors during the visit.

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Information about this children’s home

Children can access education through the home’s linked provision, both on site and off site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that a serious incident that occurred at the setting since the last inspection is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incidents were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 2 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: 2651753 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/08/2025 Full Good 06/08/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 20/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 4

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Summary of findings

Children live in a clean, welcoming and personalised environment. They generally make progress in education and enjoy a range of activities. However, these strengths are outweighed by significant and widespread shortfalls in care practice and leadership. Staff practice is inconsistent, and behaviour management is, at times, punitive and not in line with the home’s therapeutic ethos. Leaders and managers have not ensured consistent and accurate recording that reflects children’s experiences or views. In addition, safeguarding concerns are not consistently reported to the local authority designated officer (LADO) or Ofsted, which limits external oversight. These serious shortfalls result in inconsistent experiences for children and compromise their safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Outcomes for children are mixed. While 3 of the 4 children are making positive progress, including attending education provision and achieving well, there were significant concerns for one child during the inspection. The child attributed these concerns to the care they receive, how staff interpret their behaviour, and the way managers have responded to their worries. The concerns raised are currently subject to investigation. The level of harm and impact on children has not yet been fully established.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently use language in documentation that reflects the home’s therapeutic approach. Terms such as ‘absconding’ and ‘fabrication’ continue to be used. These terms are not child centred and may negatively influence how staff understand and respond to children’s behaviours. This may result in children feeling misunderstood or blamed and could affect how they perceive their day-to-day experiences if they access their records in later life. It also has the potential to affect the quality of care children receive.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not yet fully embedded practices that ensure that children’s voices are consistently reflected in their records or care planning. As a result, children’s experiences and views are not always accurately captured or used to inform their care. While leaders have begun to promote more collaborative and strengths-based approaches, these are not yet consistently implemented in practice. This limits the effectiveness of care and reduces opportunities for children to feel heard, understood and meaningfully involved in decisions about their lives.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally speak about children in a positive and caring way, which supports the development of strong relationships. However, this is not consistent, and one child reported feeling treated differently. This may affect their sense of fairness and belonging.

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improvement to be good

The manager has supported children to reflect on their strengths, experiences and achievements. However, this approach is not yet consistently embedded in Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 5 documentation or day-to-day practice. The manager has identified this as an area for development and has a clear plan in place; however, the impact on children’s experiences is not yet fully realised.

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improvement to be good

Activities that promote children’s interests and cultural identities are encouraged. Children participate in various experiences, including fundraising for charity, attending concerts, and exploring their heritage through cultural activities such as visiting places of worship and trying foods from different cultures. Staff and children eat together regularly, which helps to create a warm, family-like atmosphere. Staff make efforts to involve children in community activities; however, they do not consistently prioritise maintaining friendships from children’s home areas. As a result, some children miss important relationships and have limited opportunities for meaningful social connections outside the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide meaningful support to help children attend education through on-site schooling. They show pride in children’s progress, and children are supported to attend regularly and make good progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers do not have a consistent understanding of how to differentiate between complaints and allegations made by children. This results in inconsistent responses, including a failure to recognise and report safeguarding concerns appropriately. While some complaints, such as those relating to access to medication and food quality, are addressed in a timely and child-centred manner, staff do not consistently respond effectively to more serious concerns. For example, when a child raised concerns about staff conduct, these were not recognised as safeguarding issues or reported accordingly. As a result, the child did not feel heard and said that they used a missing-from-home incident to draw attention to their concerns. This demonstrates a significant failure to listen to children and protect them.

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improvement to be good

Staff implement blanket restrictive practices without a clear and individualised rationale. For example, all children have bedroom alarms regardless of their specific needs or risks. Risk assessments lack clarity and are not regularly reviewed by the local authority. This restricts children’s freedom of movement in their home and does not promote a proportionate or child-centred approach to risk management.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow the home’s missing-from-home procedures. Records of incidents are not consistently detailed and often lack time-stamped actions, making it difficult to track the sequence of events or evaluate the effectiveness of staff responses. As a result, managers are unable to fully review incidents or provide effective oversight of safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not apply consequences consistently. Different approaches are used, which are not aligned with the home’s therapeutic ethos as set out in the statement of purpose, and these are not routinely reviewed. On occasion, staff use punitive measures. For Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 6 example, a child’s mobile phone was removed for an extended period without review or appropriate consultation with the child’s social worker. Financial consequences are also used without sufficient consideration of children’s individual circumstances. While some child-friendly explanations are provided, this is not consistent.

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improvement to be good

When staff hold children, they do so proportionately to keep them safe. Records are detailed, and children are spoken to following incidents. The registered manager ensures that learning is identified and shared with the children. Children are provided with cuddles and reassurance following a restraint, and staff are debriefed after interventions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is alleged to have instructed staff not to record negative conversations with a child regarding their care or experiences in the home. As a result, important information about the child’s experiences and welfare may not have been captured. This has limited effective care planning, appropriate safeguarding responses and professional oversight for the child. Incomplete recording reduces transparency and accountability and may prevent professionals from responding appropriately to the child’s concerns or understanding their lived experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders and managers have failed to identify and share safeguarding information with the LADO and the regulator in a timely manner and, at times, have not made notifications at all, in line with internal policies. On one occasion, the manager was involved in a restraint and completed the oversight themselves. This may result in missed opportunities for learning and identifying training needs. Although staff generally follow internal processes, the failure to escalate concerns externally limits effective external scrutiny and oversight. As a result, safeguarding risks may not be fully assessed or responded to, leaving children potentially exposed to ongoing harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision for staff does not consistently focus on children or their experiences. Records do not consistently demonstrate reflective discussion or evaluation of the care provided. In addition, staff who are new to the home do not receive supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. As a result, staff are not sufficiently supported to reflect on and improve their practice. This limits opportunities to enhance the quality of care provided and negatively impacts children’s experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recruitment processes are in place to help ensure that staff working with children are suitable to do so. However, when potential risks have been identified through Disclosure and Barring Service checks, leaders have not consistently ensured that sufficient information is obtained to fully assess these risks. This weakens safer recruitment practices and may leave children exposed to potential harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff achieve the relevant level 3 qualification within the expected timescales. Some members of staff have been in care roles for over 2 to 3 years and have not yet achieved this qualification. As a result, staff may lack the necessary knowledge and skills to meet children’s needs effectively, which affects the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 7 Staff benefit from regular therapeutic input from a clinical lead psychotherapist, which supports opportunities for reflection and learning about children’s experiences. Team meetings and monthly ‘key child meetings’ are held to review incidents and monitor children’s progress. This provides staff with structured opportunities to reflect on their practice and develop a better understanding of children’s needs, supporting more informed and thoughtful care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 8

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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 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that all leaders and staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and respond appropriately to allegations and complaints. This includes ensuring that all relevant agencies are informed through timely, consistent and accurate reporting, with no gaps in information.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that effective senior management oversight of the home is in place to monitor and review the quality of care provided. This should include robust interagency oversight and evaluation of the use of restrictive 7 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 9 practices, ensuring that these are proportionate and consider the impact on all children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that staff are supported to achieve the required level 3 qualification within statutory timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(vii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently adopt approaches to working with children that are in line with the home’s ethos and statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that expectations around behaviour are clear and understood by all children. In addition, the way staff communicate with children, and how they record children’s experiences, should reflect a therapeutic, child-centred approach that supports the development of positive and meaningful relationships. 9 August 2026

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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 that staff— 9 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 10 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(v)(vi))

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 9 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 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: 2651753 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Generate Business Hub, 13 Bernard Street, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 7AA

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Inspectors

Louisa West, Social Care Inspector Ruth Alexander, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651753 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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