Children's Home run by BTTLR Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children's home: 2556338 1 Registered provider: BTTLR LIMITED 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 1 child who may require support with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager since December 2024. Several managers have been appointed but failed to register with Ofsted. A new manager has been appointed in March 2026 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no responsible individual since July 2025. Several individuals have been appointed but failed to apply to Ofsted. There is no one in post currently.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 1 child was living at the home, and their views were sought.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2556338 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2025 Full Good 29/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2023 Full Inadequate 12/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2556338 3

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Summary of findings

The child is making good progress in education, and their health needs are supported. Frequent changes in leadership, alongside difficulties maintaining a stable workforce have weakened management oversight and increased reliance on less experienced or agency staff. Assessments of risk and medication protocols are in place but are not clear for new or temporary members of staff. Arrangements for staff support in the absence of senior managers is not embedded. These shortfalls mean that practice is not yet consistently safe or effective.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the environment is welcoming and thoughtfully decorated, creating a comfortable and personalised living space for the child. However, standards of cleanliness and general maintenance are not consistently maintained. Some areas require more regular cleaning and repairs to ensure that the environment remains safe, well-presented and of a consistently good standard.

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improvement to be good

The child is making good progress with their education. Staff work closely with partner agencies to source support and help the child to engage in education. The child has successfully transitioned to a full-time provision, and the home manager is proactive in advocating for the child, to ensure that this provision is tailored to meet the child’s needs and encourages ongoing participation.

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improvement to be good

The child has a significant health diagnosis. The home manager has researched the diagnosis and shared this information with the core staff team. This has resulted in the child’s health needs including regular appointments and treatments, being well managed overall. However, the home manager has failed to escalate concerns in relation to decisions made by the professional network, when these are not considered to be in the child's best interest. Furthermore, staff do not consistently demonstrate a sufficient understanding of medication procedures for the child. This presents a risk of missed medication, which could negatively impact the child’s health and welfare, considering their significant health diagnosis.

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improvement to be good

The child spends valuable time with people who are important to them. Staff support the child with accessing social opportunities and consider alternative ways to promote this time when there are identified barriers to agreed plans. One professional said, ‘seeing people [the child] knows has had a positive impact’. Inspection report children's home: 2556338 4

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow established procedures when welcoming new visitors. On occasions, appropriate checks and verification processes have not been completed before individuals are permitted access to the home and therefore the child. This weakens safeguarding arrangements and increases potential risks to the child.

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improvement to be good

Assessments of risk are regularly updated, however contain conflicting information and are confusing, particularly for newer, less experienced or agency staff. As a result, staff do not respond to known risks consistently. For example, risks related to substance misuse are known by staff, but their responses to incidents is variable and does not address the known risks sufficiently, including ensuring medical advice is consistently sought when required.

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improvement to be good

Staff responses to safeguarding incidents are inconsistent and inappropriate consequences have been used on one occasion. A lack of timely managerial oversight contributed to a lack of learning being taken and shared with the staff team to improve practice. However, the home manager has provided strengthened oversight since their appointment and has taken steps to identify and act on shortfalls in a timely manner, but this is not yet embedded.

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improvement to be good

The home manager has responded appropriately to identified shortfalls in staff practice following a significant incident. A thorough investigation was completed without delay and relevant safeguarding agencies, including the local authority designated officer and Ofsted, were notified in line with statutory requirements. The home manager has taken steps to identify learning from the incident, which has been shared with the staff team through a reflective team meeting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection there have been several changes to leadership. In this period, the provider appointed two managers, who both left after a short period of time and prior to registering with Ofsted. The provider also appointed two responsible individuals who both left prior to Ofsted checking their suitability for the role. The responsible individual role remains vacant. A further home manager has been appointed since March 2026 and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted. The home’s manager is supported by an operations manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the management changes, the quality of management oversight and evaluation of incidents has been inconsistent. Consequently, previous opportunities to identify and share learning have been significantly delayed. This has limited the ability to reflect on and improve practice. When managers have been absent, the operations manager has provided additional support. However, on occasion, in the absence of a responsible individual, leaders and managers have not been available to provide support and oversight in person, therefore the arrangements to observe and support staff practice and oversee the home have been compromised. Inspection report children's home: 2556338 5 There are ongoing challenges in maintaining a stable and experienced workforce. A shortage of permanent staff has resulted in a reliance on less experienced and agency staff, which has impacted the consistency and quality of practice. Consequently, the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

home manager has recently been required to work directly alongside staff to maintain safe staffing levels. This has reduced the time available for essential leadership, monitoring practice and driving sustained service improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision however, the opportunity to reflect on practice, consider alternative plans and strategies to support the child and safeguarding discussions are not considered. Furthermore, the home manager has not received regular supervision as outlined in the statement of purpose. This does not provide the manager with sufficient support and oversight, particularly in periods of crisis. However, the home manager reports feeling well supported by the operations manager in a more informal manner. Inspection report children's home: 2556338 6

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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 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—

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that assessments of risk are clear and that staff understand all risk assessments and care planning documents and follow these consistently. 23 September 2026

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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;

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Requirement Due date

and promotes their welfare. 23 September 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2556338 7 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that sufficient management oversight is in place in the absence of senior leaders. This also refers to ensuring that staff have the skills and experience in line with the statement of purpose and that supervisions are completed including opportunities for reflection and safeguarding discussions.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek and ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 23 September 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2556338 8 The registered person must ensure that any decisions made in relation to a child's care plan, there is timely avocation and challenge if decisions are not considered to be in a child's best interest.

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Requirement Due date

An organisation may only carry on a home if—

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Requirement Due date

the organisation has notified HMCI of the name, address and position in the organisation of the responsible individual. (Regulation 26 (4)(ii)) 23 September 2026

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Recommendation

 Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate hygienic conditions. Staff should seek to meet the child's basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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 children's home: 2556338 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Timpsons Business centre, Bath Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN16 8NQ

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2556338 10 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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