Children's Home run by VCare24 Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 1 Registered provider: Vcare - 24 Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved on from the home. The inspector spoke with the child who is currently living in the 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: 3 February 2026

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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: 2561726 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2026 Full Good 10/09/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 3

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Summary of findings

Staff help the child to make progress and stay safe. Managers work with the placing local authority to develop care plans for the child and keep these under regular review. Staff understand and implement the plans, offering a high level of supervision and having meaningful conversations, which has meant that risk-taking behaviour has reduced.

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Summary of findings

The child has been helped back into education and to access specialist services. Staff are establishing positive relationships with the child and spending time with them in the community. Staff talk about the child with warmth and kindness, which impacts the child’s confidence positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are well considered. Leaders and managers review information about the child effectively before they move in to help inform the care. The manager and a staff member met with the child at their previous home to build a rapport. A welcome basket was gifted to the child when they moved in to help them to settle and demonstrate the nurturing care that would follow. Staff complete profiles of themselves for the child to read in their own time so that they can get to know more about the staff caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is gaining a sense of stability. Before moving into the home, the child experienced a considerable number of moves, which has led to a mistrust of adults. Staff recognise and understand the challenges the child experiences in building relationships and are helping them to develop positive relationships. Staff demonstrate care and nurture, which has helped the child to invest in living in the home. Staff engage the child in meaningful conversations and spend time with them in the community and playing games in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child engages in their care planning. The child has spent time contributing to their care plan in the home so that staff are caring in a way that is meaningful to the child. Staff use social stories to help the child understand their care plan. The child now better understands their plans and can advocate for themselves in meetings about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress from their starting point. The child has re-engaged in education. The manager is advocating about the education plans to prevent drift and delay for the child. The child has healthier routines since moving into the home and is gaining greater structure to their day. This means that hygiene, sleep and mealtimes have improved. The child has, for the first time, been able to access specialist support services because they now have a stable home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 4

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

Staff care for the child using a nurturing approach with clear boundaries, which has increased the safety for the child. Risk-taking behaviour for the child has reduced significantly since living in the home. Staff talk to the child about how to stay safe.

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

Staff respond quickly and effectively when the child goes missing. Staff understand the child’s plans around going missing from the home, and a co-ordinated approach has meant that the child has returned home in a safe way. Since moving into the home, the child has gone missing less often.

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

Staff understand and implement the child’s care plan and associated legal orders. Staff work with the plans in the least restrictive way to keep the child safe. When restrictions are used, they are kept under review.

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

There have been some difficult incidents to manage in the home. Learning reviews are completed following incidents, which means staff continually adapt their approach and are consistent and tenacious in their care. A medical professional has been consulted on the approach to the care and has fed back about the positive impact that the care is having.

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

Physical interventions are used to ensure that the child is safe and are used as a last resort. The manager has oversight of significant incidents in the home. Following the use of a physical intervention, staff and children engage in post-incident discussions. When an unauthorised hold was used, there was a prompt response from observing staff to release the hold. The manager reviewed the incident fully alongside a senior trainer and ensured that additional training was completed before the staff member worked in the home again.

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

Fire safety is well understood. The child has set a fire in the home. Staff ensure that the child was safe and responded quickly. Staff work with the child about the implications of setting fires.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior leadership team and a deputy manager support the manager. They have systems in place to ensure that key documents are received and that plans are updated regularly. The effective oversight has meant that managers have created plans to help the child make progress. The progress reports have been shared with the placing local authority and have been helpful when reviewing legal orders for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints from neighbours have been managed effectively. Alongside the complaints process, senior leaders have met with neighbours regularly since the complaints to offer reassurance and repair relationships. This has led to neighbours being more understanding and accepting during times of the child being in distress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 5 The manager communicates effectively with external agencies. Agencies visit the home to work with the child, which fosters collaborative working. The manager’s frequent and clear communication is a strength.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported by managers through regular supervision sessions, team meetings and check-ins. Staff have experienced challenges that have impacted morale. The manager uses team meetings as an opportunity to build resilience in the staff team and to discuss the changes to the child’s plan in an interactive way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a quick response to the change in staffing ratios for the child to ensure their safety. This has been achieved through using agency staff and staff from other parts of the business. Non-permanent staff are given a handover at the start of their shift and receive an induction into the home. The manager has introduced a new supervision session structure for agency waking night staff. Casual and cover staff receive supervision sessions from their substantive managers but do not discuss the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment checks are completed. The manager uses past safer recruitment checks when staff have moved internally from different parts of the business. However, no references have been obtained from their current line manager. When a new member of staff started, one check was completed on the first day of their induction. Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This includes ensuring that all safer recruitment checks are completed before staff start to work in the home and that contact is made with managers when staff transfer within the business. Staff who work in the home on a casual basis should have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss the plans of the child who lives in this home within their supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2561726 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 10, Halifax Way, Pocklington Industrial Estate, Pocklington, York YO42 1NP

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Inspector

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2561726 8 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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