Children's Home run by Kelwel Care Homes Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 1 Registered provider: Kelwel Care 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 run by a private organisation and provides care for up to 5 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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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: 2787006 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/08/2025 Full Good 07/08/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm and nurturing care from dedicated staff. Since the last inspection, there have been a high number of incidents. Despite this, the staff are committed to maintaining consistent care for children. Feedback from professionals and children’s families is consistently positive.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are committed to providing the staff and children with good- quality care. This has meant that their time has primarily been focused on strengthening the leadership and management of the home.

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Summary of findings

Overall, the leadership and management of the home have improved. However, several shortfalls have been identified as a result of this inspection. Although the shortfalls have not had a significant impact on the quality of care provided, unchecked, they have the potential to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and another child has moved out. At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home. One child spoke with the inspector. Another child was missing from home during the first day of the inspection. The inspector met one child who chose not to contribute to the inspection. Every child was given the opportunity to provide feedback.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently been through a turbulent period, with group dynamics that led to escalating incidents for some children. Despite this, the staff have ensured that good standards of individualised support and care have been maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Following of a review of the dynamics relating to children living together, one child has moved on from the home. Despite their best efforts, staff could not meet the child’s changing needs. Staff worked very closely with the placing authority to ensure the child’s move was well supported, and the child felt prepared. Consequently, they experienced a positive ending. However, leaders and managers have not reviewed this placement ending to help improve systems and strengthen future placement planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s social workers and families are highly complimentary about how well children are cared for by staff. Interactions between staff and children are warm and children are comfortable in the presence of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children opportunities to explore their individual interests and try new experiences. These include overnight fishing trips, using the gym, celebratory meals out and beauty treatments. Two children are taking driving lessons, partly funded by the home. Another child has a pet which they enjoy looking after. Staff celebrate these experiences by capturing memories in thoughtfully designed photo books. Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 4 Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships with family and friends. Staff encourage children to spend meaningful time together. The home’s therapist has offered family therapy to one child and their relatives to help build stronger relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage with education. Although children’s attendance is variable, staff continue to be advocates for children. Staff seek support from professionals, including from the headteacher of the virtual school, to help reduce barriers to learning. This helps tailor education specifically to children’s needs. As a result, all the children recently took their exams. A professional described this as ‘an immense achievement’ for one child compared to where they started. Children are offered additional training through the company, with one child recently gaining a first-aid qualification. Staff have organised for another child to attend a lifeguard course to help increase future employment opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and welcoming in most areas. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. A recent addition of a games room helps children to socialise together and share their interests. However, there are areas that require refurbishment. The stairs and landing carpet is heavily stained and 2 children’s bedrooms need painting. This work is under way, with parts of the home being redecorated during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families and professionals recognise the excellent relationships staff build with the children. One professional said, ‘The staff go above and beyond.’

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

Children have complex needs, with histories of going missing from home, substance misuse and vulnerability to exploitation. Due to children’s lived experiences, they may struggle to express their feelings, compromising their safety. Despite this, the staff respond to children in a child-focused and trauma-informed way. This helps to support children to reflect on and learn healthier ways to manage difficult emotions.

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

Children regularly go missing from the home. Staff’s approach to managing these risks is child focused, measured and proportionate. When a child goes missing, staff try and contact them and others who are known to them, to help locate them and encourage them to return. Managers work proactively and effectively with external agencies. This work is helping to reduce the frequency and duration of children going missing.

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

Children are beginning to benefit from a nurturing and structured environment where positive behaviour is actively reinforced. Staff do not use physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour. Instead, staff use consequences and rewards with children as part of a wider approach to behaviour management. Staff encourage children to use alternative ways to manage their emotions, and reward them. One child has been rewarded with items to build their own bike and another has chosen beauty treatments. However, the manager does not review the effectiveness of rewards and consequences. Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 5 Occasionally, the police are called to the home to help manage children’s behaviour. Reliance on police is proportionate and minimal. Incident reports are comprehensive and include a clear rationale for the action taken. Staff are curious to understand what may have been happening for the child at the time.

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

Staff work effectively with external health agencies to ensure children’s health needs are met. Staff persistently source external professionals who best understand children’s complex and individual needs. This has meant children have begun, for the first time, to attend medical appointments and engage meaningfully with health professionals.

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

Leaders and managers take timely and effective action to address staff practice that has fallen short of expectations, including when children have raised allegations about staff. Allegations are shared with the local authority designated officer. Detailed investigations are carried out to help identify wider learning for staff, to help improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is appropriately qualified and experienced. An experienced deputy manager supports her. They share a comprehensive understanding of the children’s needs and risks. External professionals describe leaders and managers as child focused, adaptive, proactive and considerate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager openly reflected on the challenges of her role since the last inspection. She understands the children’s progress and the areas for development. Senior managers have created a helpful audit to support improvements. The managers reflect on this audit during her supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that there is a positive working environment and that they have welcomed the new management style. Staff enjoy coming to work. They are committed, resilient and show genuine care for the children. There are positive and playful interactions between the children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff now benefit from regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. This gives them the support to reflect and provides opportunities to develop their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained to meet the needs of the children. Ongoing learning has led to a better understanding of children’s needs, especially those relating to children’s lived experiences and mental health.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers now use generally effective systems for auditing and monitoring records. This helps them to identify and address areas requiring further exploration quickly. However, leaders and managers do not always ensure quality of care reports include clear feedback from children and staff. The impact of safeguarding practice is not always evaluated. The independent person does not routinely see children and capture their views during visits. Some reports contain inaccuracies. This limits the capacity for leaders and managers to have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided. Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 6 Three staff members are significantly delayed in gaining the relevant qualification as required. Leaders and managers have not reviewed the impact of them not completing this qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have responded appropriately to incidents, although they have not always notified Ofsted in a timely manner. This limits Ofsted’s ability to monitor incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose comprehensively details how staff meet the children’s needs and is regularly updated. However, this is not always shared with Ofsted in a timely way. Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 7

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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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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 notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(c) (5)(a)(i)) 29 July 2026

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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

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 1 April 2027 Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 8 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a) (6)(b) (8))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a) (5)) 28 December 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they keep the statement of purpose under review. It should be shared with the regulator after every review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should regularly review the impact of consequences used to address poor behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.7  The registered person should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2787006 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kelwel Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Jubilee House, The Drive, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex CM13 3FR

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Inspector

Lexi Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2787006 11 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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