Children's Home run by Storyy Homes Limited in Wokingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 1 Registered provider: Storyy Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is owned by a private organisation and provides care for up to 4 children. At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The registered manager post has been vacant since April 2026.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2025 Full Good 10/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are settled in the home. They enjoy taking part in fun activities and are supported to attend education. This helps them to progress and become more independent. Regular house meetings enable children to share their views about issues that are important to them. They have positive relationships with staff and feel listened to and supported. They also access advocacy services for independent support.

p.3

Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Managers and staff know the children well and want the best for them. They work effectively with partner agencies. Staff receive the training and support they need to provide good care. However, there have been changes in leadership and staffing, affecting children's sense of stability, security and belonging and resulting in 2 requirements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children value the care and individualised support that they receive, and they make progress from their starting points. Children are making progress in their education, employment, emotional wellbeing and independence skills. All children attend education full time. This helps them to achieve positive outcomes and improves their future opportunities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children's guide is child friendly. It helps children to understand their rights and provides relevant information about the home. Regular house meetings ensure that children can share their ideas and influence decisions. Children access advocacy, helping to ensure that their rights and entitlements are upheld.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive day-to-day experiences and take part in activities that they enjoy. They spend time together and with staff on fun outings and have a holiday planned during the summer. As a result, children are able to build positive memories and increase their sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The atmosphere in the home is relaxed. Children enjoy good relationships with staff and each other. These positive relationships contribute to children feeling secure and supported. However, ongoing changes to management, staffing and to one-to-one support for children affect the consistency of relationships between staff and children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with external professionals and people who are significant in the children's lives. Family time is supported, helping children to maintain important relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive specialist services that meet their individual needs. Partnership working with professionals helps to ensure that children receive timely interventions and support. This helps to promote their emotional, social, psychological and physical wellbeing. Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 4

p.3

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

Risks to children's health and wellbeing are managed well. This is helping children to remain safe and receive appropriate attention when needed. Staff quickly respond to children's accidents or injuries. This ensures that children receive the right care and support.

p.4

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

Staff support children to manage their feelings and behaviour in positive ways. They use effective strategies and set clear boundaries; there have been no incidents requiring physical intervention. Supportive relationships help the children to feel secure and make safer choices.

p.4

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

Children are helped to stay safe online. Staff monitor internet use. Staff complete direct work with children to help them understand the risks. This helps children to recognise unsafe situations and learn how to protect themselves.

p.4

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

Children receive the medical assistance they need to promote their health and welfare, including effective, targeted support around self-harming behaviours. This shows that risks are assessed and managed, helping children to become safer.

p.4

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

Children know that their views and feelings are important. When they raise a concern or make a complaint, adults listen and take action to help. This helps children to feel heard, respected and safe. Restorative conversations help children to understand what happened and repair relationships. As a result, children learn positive ways to deal with difficult situations.

p.4

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

Allegations are recorded and responded to appropriately. Children's views and experiences are given high importance. Managers monitor patterns and review repeated allegations to ensure that concerns are thoroughly investigated; staff receive additional training if necessary.

p.4

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

If children go missing from the home, staff follow the organisation's safeguarding procedures to reduce the risk of harm. Children receive appropriate support on their return. Effective multi-agency working helps staff to understand and address the push or pull factors that contribute to children going missing. As a result, children are not away from the home for extended periods.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have clear plans to continue developing the home and they are ambitious for the children. They have a good understanding of each child's needs. Leaders and managers support both children and staff. This helps to ensure that children receive individualised care and promotes positive experiences and progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have reflected on challenges relating to staffing and they are taking steps to improve recruitment. This includes introducing values-based interviews Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 5 and involving children in the recruitment process. Staff learn how to support children and build good relationships with them. Leaders and managers promote a restorative culture in which children's voices are heard.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Diversity and inclusion are valued. Staff support children to understand and celebrate their own identity. Activities in the home promote children's emotional wellbeing and self- awareness. For example, during Mental Health Awareness Week, children contributed to interactive displays. This helped children to explore their feelings and understand the importance of positive mental health.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision. Staff say that managers are approachable and available when support is needed. Newly introduced therapeutic, reflective supervision is valued by staff. This practice helps staff to understand children's experiences and provide more- consistent care and support.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Training is prioritised by leaders and managers. As a result, staff have the knowledge and skills needed to care for the children. New staff receive a thorough induction, helping them to feel well supported. Staff say that managers consider both their professional and personal needs. This is contributing to a positive team culture.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has experienced instability in its leadership and staffing arrangements, affecting continuity of care. The appointment of a new responsible individual is a positive development. However, there is no registered manager. Frequent changes in leadership affect consistency for both children and staff and cause the children to feel unsettled at times. This was also identified as an area for improvement at the previous inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(e)) 1 October 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a) (2) (a)(b)) 8 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 7

p.6

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: 2773966 8

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider: Storyy Homes Limited

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 10 Beech Court, Wokingham Road, Hurst, Reading RG10 0RQ

p.8

Inspector

Kerry Meller-Rayment, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2773966 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9