Children's Home run by Semi-independent House Limited in Peterborough

Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 1 Registered provider: Semi-independent House Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care for up to 3 children who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties, including learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home, and one child was living in the home at the time of this inspection. They were spoken with.

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Information about this children's home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2025 Full Good 04/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 3

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Summary of findings

Staff provide children with stability, consistency and compassionate care, helping them to feel safe, settled and happy in the home. Children benefit from trusting and meaningful relationships with staff, which support the development of their confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children's individual interests, communication styles and day-to-day needs, enabling them to provide personalised care and support. Leaders and managers have created a supportive culture where staff feel valued and are provided with opportunities for reflection and development. While systems are in place to monitor the quality of care, these do not consistently provide sufficient oversight to identify and address shortfalls in practice promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak about children with warmth and affection. They show care to children through their actions, such as baking birthday cakes and taking time to learn about children's interests. Staff recognise when children need support with communication. A social worker highlighted the significant progress a child had made in 'finding their voice', noting the child is now able to attend and participate in all meetings about their care. This approach supports children to build positive relationships with staff, develop confidence and be able to express their views and influence decisions about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support to help children make good progress in education. Children's educational outcomes have improved significantly, with one child achieving a marked increase in school attendance and another successfully completing examinations and progressing to college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in encouraging children to participate in a wide range of activities and experiences, including holidays, community groups and outdoor pursuits. Children's views are actively sought when planning activities, ensuring that their interests and preferences shape their experiences. As a result, children have benefited from opportunities such as climbing mountains, visiting theme parks and engaging with their local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of helping children prepare for adulthood and have plans in place to help children develop their independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure children have access to universal health services and, when needed, more specialist support. However, staff do not have a clear understanding about the specific developmental needs of one child, which could mean that they may not receive the support or services they need and may struggle to develop a positive sense of their identity. Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 4 Staff provided effective and thoughtful support to prepare a child for a planned move into foster care, helping them to successfully transition to family life. Staff worked closely with the child, foster carer and placing authority to ensure that the move was well coordinated and sensitively managed. This included spending time with the child in their new home, providing gifts and maintaining appropriate contact to acknowledge the importance of the relationships that had been built. However, opportunities were missed

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

to capture and preserve these important memories through a life story or keepsake resource for the child. In addition, staff did not fully consider or plan for the emotional impact of the child's departure on the child who remained living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large, spacious and personalised, with children's presence evident throughout. Staff encourage children to make their bedrooms their own and seek their views about changes to the environment. However, some areas require cleaning and repair, and maintenance issues, including a leaking roof and broken shower, have not been resolved promptly. These delays detract from an otherwise child-centred environment and do not reflect the positive value staff place on children.

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

Staff build positive and trusting relationships with children, creating an environment where children feel safe to share their worries and concerns. They listen carefully, take children's views seriously and act promptly to address any issues raised. If children do raise any complaints, concerns or worries, staff listen to children and take their concerns seriously. A child said they can speak to staff about their problems and staff help 'sort it out'. As a result, children feel heard, supported and confident that staff will help them resolve difficulties. This nurturing approach has contributed to children not going missing from the home or requiring physical intervention during this inspection year.

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

Staff provide children with clear and consistent routines and boundaries, which are underpinned by detailed plans and effective communication between staff. Rather than relying on consequences, staff recognise that behaviour is often a form of communication and seek to understand the underlying needs of children. They promote positive behaviour through praise, encouragement, rewards and incentive schemes. This consistent and nurturing approach helps children to feel safe, secure and understood, providing them with the stability they need to make positive progress.

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

Staff understand the risks that the internet can pose to children and have measures in place to promote their online safety. However, when staff carried out checks of children's mobile phones, these were not always recorded. The manager identified this shortfall and has taken steps to improve recording practices. Despite this, further work is needed to ensure that records clearly describe the actions taken by staff, including how children are informed about checks. In addition, the manager decided to stop conducting phone checks for one child in recognition of their progress. However, this decision was not made in consultation with the child's placing authority. As a result, opportunities were missed to ensure that safeguarding arrangements were fully understood and agreed by all professionals involved in the child's care. Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 5 The manager has considered the location of the home and taken action to mitigate any

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

identified concerns, such as the installation of external CCTV. However, these actions have not been reviewed when new concerns about the home's location have emerged. This means the manager does not have a full understanding of the current concerns relating to the home's location, and work has not been done with children about how to stay safe in the community in response to these concerns. Furthermore, children's plans do not reflect the use of CCTV.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager fosters a collaborative and inclusive culture by seeking and valuing staff's views on the development of the home. This approach empowers staff to reflect on and enhance their own practice, while encouraging them to contribute to positive change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to monitor the care provided to children. Their oversight has contributed to improving the care children receive. For example, the manager identified that routines and boundaries in the home required strengthening. The action the manager took to address this has led to positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established effective working relationships with external professionals. This includes providing professionals with regular updates and attending meetings to contribute to plans about children's care. These positive relationships have helped the manager advocate for children and escalate concerns when necessary to ensure that children's needs are met. This has meant a child has gained access to additional tuition and another child has been able to access a statutory health assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds appropriately to complaints, including those raised by children, and takes prompt action to address concerns. When complaints identify potential safeguarding issues, the manager works effectively with relevant agencies to ensure that children remain safe. A reflective and learning-focused approach is evident, with the manager using feedback and complaints to inform changes and improvements to practice where necessary. However, while complaints are investigated and acted upon, the manager does not consistently provide written responses outlining the outcome of the investigation and the actions taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not consistently ensured that safer recruitment practices are applied when appointing staff to work with children. The checks undertaken to assess applicants' suitability have not always been sufficiently thorough or completed in a timely manner. As a result, there is not always clear evidence that all necessary employment histories, references and background checks have been obtained and scrutinised before staff commence work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has sought limited feedback from children's families and does not have systems in place to keep families up to date. Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 6 Staff say they feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision that focuses on both children's needs and staff wellbeing, enabling them to reflect on their practice and the support they provide. Staff also attend team meetings, which are used effectively to review practice, refresh knowledge and skills and consider how best to meet children's needs. In addition, the manager ensures that staff have access to consultation with a therapeutic lead, providing valuable opportunities to develop their understanding of children's experiences and inform their care planning. However, the frequency of team meetings does not align with the home's statement of purpose, which may limit opportunities for collective reflection and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

In particular, ensure that the frequency of team meetings aligns with the statement of purpose, responses to complaints are aligned with the complaint policy, staff have sufficient training to understand and meet children's needs and records created when staff check children's phones describe the action staff have taken, including informing the child of any search of their belongings. 17 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 8 In particular, ensure that children's plans include the use of any monitoring and surveillance used and are regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises is reviewed when there are new and emerging concerns identified and that support is offered to children to understand these concerns.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual ensures that they have the capacity to supervise the management of the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 17 September 2026

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child's welfare; 17 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 9 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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children's developmental needs are fully understood and there are plans in place to meet these needs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that when making changes to arrangements to safeguard children, staff should discuss the decision with the child's placing authority where appropriate, before making any changes. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through engagement with each child's family/carers where appropriate, which includes seeking their feedback and providing updates on the child's progress. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person must ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. This includes ensuring that all areas of the home are clean and well maintained, including the timely completion of any repairs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should speak to all children about significant life events. Staff should keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home, helping them retain memories of their life. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2604898 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Semi-independent House Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 51 Ploverly, Peterborough PE4 6HZ

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Inspector

Laura Copus, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2604898 11 regulates and inspects 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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