Children's Home run by Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 1 Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It registered in May 2016 and provides care for up to 4 children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager started in November 2025 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has appointed a new responsible individual and registered manager. Ofsted is currently checking that these persons have the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out these roles.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 2 June 2026. Inspectors returned on 9 June 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Two children spoke with the inspectors during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

Despite the home following the correct procedures available to them, there was a serious unforeseen incident that meant one child was not fully protected or their welfare was not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/04/2024 Full Good 16/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into the home, and 2 children have moved out. One child has come to significant harm while living at the home. This has led to an inadequate judgement in how well children are helped and protected. Leaders have not been consistently robust in sharing information with children’s social workers or the staff team in relation to safeguarding concerns. As a result, staff and social workers have not had all the necessary information they need to make informed decisions to support children effectively. In addition, leaders and managers have not used sufficient professional curiosity when recruiting staff, leaving children vulnerable. Despite shortfalls, children are making progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The incident that led to the investigation is serious and has affected one child’s emotional wellbeing, stability and overall safety. As a result, there are serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children. In addition, leadership and management systems in the home are not consistently effective to ensure children’s safety. Despite the safeguarding shortfalls identified, the children currently living in the home are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children experience well-planned moves in and out of the home. Staff visit children and provide them with information about the home. Children visit the home and are offered opportunities to meet other children and staff. As a result, children are well prepared for change. This reduces anxiety and supports their emotional wellbeing and sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff and managers demonstrate good advocacy for children, particularly in securing appropriate educational arrangements. One child, who was previously not attending school, is now attending school regularly. When children are unable to attend school, managers ensure that appropriate home learning arrangements are in place. These arrangements are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain suitable. As a result, children are supported to make positive progress in line with their individual plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s wishes and feelings are consistently valued and actively sought. Managers and staff use a range of structured and informal approaches, including regular meetings and day-to-day conversations, to gather children’s views. Children are meaningfully involved Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 4 in decision-making about their day-to-day lives and longer-term plans. As a result, children feel valued, supported and confident that their voices are heard and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children benefit from a wide range of activities, including visits to arcades, go-karting, escape rooms and water parks. This ensures that children enjoy having fun with each other and staff, while experiencing new activities. Children spoken to during the inspection reported that they feel valued, cared for and supported. One child said, ‘I love it here. I like the staff, the house and the other children, everything really.’

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

Significant shortfalls in the safeguarding of one child have led to a judgement of inadequate in the help and protection of children. A child has come to significant harm while living in the home. The trauma caused by this incident is likely to have long-lasting implications for the child. The child is now being supported by managers and staff to process this harm and access the necessary support services.

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

Leaders have not been proactive in sharing information with the social workers of children living in the home regarding a serious safeguarding incident that has occurred. This has limited social workers’ ability to make fully informed decisions, safeguard effectively and promote the wellbeing of the children they are responsible for.

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

Managers failed to use professional curiosity in exploring information provided by a previous employer to ensure a staff member was safe to work in the home. Leaders have since reflected on this and made changes to their recruitment process.

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

Children generally receive consequences that are restorative and proportionate. As a result, they are supported to understand the impact of their actions. However, on one occasion, staff contacted the police as a consequence. This response was not proportionate and did not align with the home’s therapeutic parenting ethos. This may have caused unnecessary distress for the child and could impact on their trust in staff and their sense of safety within the home.

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

Physical interventions are rarely used due to the understanding staff have of children and their individual needs. When staff use physical intervention, it is carried out safely, proportionately and as a last resort. Children and staff are given opportunities to reflect and share their feelings to support learning and emotional wellbeing. Children understand why they have been held and are able to maintain relationships with staff.

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

When children go missing, staff respond promptly and appropriately to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Staff actively search for children, notify relevant professionals and the police and provide support on their return to promote their safety and emotional wellbeing. This approach helps children to feel valued, supported and cared for.

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

When children experience difficult emotions, staff respond with a gentle and nurturing approach and help children to understand and manage their emotions. In addition, they ensure that children have access to external services that support their emotional Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 5 wellbeing. As a result, there has been a reduction of incidents within the home, and children feel well supported by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2023. Despite several appointments, they have not stayed or registered with Ofsted. A lack of stable leadership has the potential to compromise children’s safety, wellbeing and overall experiences. The current manager started in November 2025 and has applied to register. He has worked with the home’s responsible individual to provide stability and oversight of children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls, leaders and managers strive to make changes to improve children’s safety. For example, in response to the safeguarding incident that took place, leaders have ensured that 2 staff are always present to support children during the night. Staff have been offered additional training to enhance their knowledge base and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from professionals is generally positive, highlighting staff’s understanding of children’s individual needs and therapeutic practice as key strengths. However, one professional identified that earlier escalation of concerns may have enabled more timely support for a child. While this did not prevent the child from making progress, it highlights an area for development in relation to managers’ ability to escalate concerns effectively and challenge decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have good systems in place to support them to maintain oversight of the quality of care. This ensures they have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development, enabling them to take timely and appropriate action. As a result, children benefit from a well-managed, stable environment where their needs are consistently monitored and responded to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive training and have numerous opportunities through team meetings, clinical consultation and supervision to reflect on and develop their practice. As a result, some staff respond to children’s individual needs effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) 17 July 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; 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the home has a registered manager through meeting requirements specified in Regulation 28 relating to the fitness of the manager for registration as required by s.11 CSA 2000. 17 July 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; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 17 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must effectively share safeguarding information related to children’s lived experiences to ensure staff are able to offer care that is in tune with children’s evolving needs and presentation.

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consequences are proportionate and do not further negatively impact on children. 17 July 2026

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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

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 to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they provide effective professional challenge to agencies and professionals if their responses to safeguarding concerns and care planning are not adequate, to ensure that early intervention and appropriate care planning can take place for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also share safeguarding concerns with children’s social workers to ensure they have accurate information to ensure they are able to effectively care plan for the children they have living in the home. 17 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 8 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any issues in relation to the prospective employees’ conduct or practice have been explored in full prior to commencing their role. 17 July 2026

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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: 1231458 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sherlock Healthcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite LP38724, 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Inspectors

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231458 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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