Children's Home run by Early Rise Care ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Registered provider: Early Rise Care 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 owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care and support for up to 2 children, who experience social and emotional difficulties. One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered in February 2026. This is the first inspection for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

There are widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Summary of findings

Children do not make sufficient progress, and leaders have failed to safeguard children effectively due to not managing risks appropriately. Inconsistency of staffing arrangements have negatively impacted on the team’s ability to build meaningful relationships with children. When children have gone missing from the home, these incidents are poorly managed, and staff show little curiosity in exploring whether children may be at risk of exploitation. Leaders do not provide the scrutiny needed to ensure that interventions around restraint practice are safe, necessary and proportionate. Significant oversight failures in how the home is led and managed have compromised children’s overall progress and experiences and safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Two children have lived in the home, at different times, since the home was registered. The first child moved on from the home in an unplanned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not experience stable and trusting relationships. The high dependency on agency staff means that children are frequently cared for by staff they do not know well. This disrupts consistency and makes it harder for them to feel safe or build meaningful connections. This instability leaves children without reliable staff that they can turn to, affecting their emotional security and day-to-day experiences in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not fully understand or consistently respond to children’s complex behaviours and challenges. As a result, there has been damage caused in the home on a regular basis. However, repairs are not completed quickly. Furthermore, children’s bedrooms remain undecorated and are not personalised to reflect their identity. Communal areas lack warmth and comfort. Consequently, the home does not feel homely, and the overall condition of the property is poor. This compromises children’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Key-work sessions do take place; however, these are brief, unplanned and descriptive. Recordings do not capture the child’s views, wishes or feelings. Discussions with children are not linked to incidents or current risks. Records do not accurately reflect events. As a result, staff discussions with children do not support meaningful reflection or help them deepen their understanding of children’s behavioural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children make limited progress and are not in employment, education or training. They receive very little support to improve their learning or development of independence skills. Leaders have not ensured alternative education or structured work is in place, leaving children unprepared for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not experience consistent activities or routine. The lack of regular, planned activities compromises children’s day-to-day experiences and means they do not have predictable structure or expectations. This leaves children spending long periods of time Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

in their bedrooms and reduces opportunities for staff to build relationships through shared, positive time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care planning is limited and is not carried out in partnership with children’s placing authority. Leaders and managers have not ensured that they have children’s local authority pathway plans. This prevents joint planning and means staff do not have the personalised information needed to form a clear basis for the child’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s physical health needs are met effectively. Staff respond to children’s health issues in a timely and appropriate manner, ensuring that concerns are identified quickly and support from relevant professionals is accessed when needed.

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

Staff are not consistent in keeping children safe. Although they have relevant training, staff lack confidence, when using physical interventions. Some physical interventions are not recorded as such and debriefs are inconsistent or have not been completed. There is no evidence of restorative work between staff and children after incidents. As a result, children do not receive meaningful support to reflect or repair relationships. Furthermore, leaders and managers have failed to identify whether the measures used are necessary and proportionate.

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

Allegations are not always recorded or treated as allegations. This creates missed opportunities to address safeguarding concerns, and leaders have not ensured that the risks are identified, explored or addressed. Consequently, children are not consistently protected, and important opportunities to understand or respond to concerns are missed.

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

When children have gone missing from the home, the response from staff is weak. Incidents are poorly recorded and leaders, managers and staff fail to understand patterns of behaviour or escalating risks. When children return home, staff show limited professional curiosity. Risks linked to exploitation are not fully explored and follow-up work with children is not completed. Staff fail to communicate with children during prolonged missing from home incidents. As a result, opportunities to understand why children went missing, how to reduce future risk and strengthen protective planning are missed.

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

When children experience mental health difficulties and show signs of self-harm, staff find it difficult to manage these behaviours and often rely on the support of emergency services. There are no clear procedures for staff to follow to help them to support children, when they return home from hospital. For instance, staff discussions with children are not consistent and do not always capture how children feel, when these incidents have occurred. Routines and boundaries are not clear, and staff struggle to implement rules consistently.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of children’s deprivation of liberty orders and apply it proportionately, balancing required restrictions with appropriate freedoms. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is led by an inexperienced manager. His limited experience is evident in inconsistent oversight and gaps in safeguarding practice. He has recently given notice, which further reduces leadership stability. The responsible individual has not provided adequate oversight of the registered manager, or the home. This means that widespread failings under how well children are helped and protected have not been identified or addressed by leaders. This lack of scrutiny and oversight has placed children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are insufficient monitoring systems in place. There is no consistent method for record-keeping. This fragmented approach makes it difficult for leaders to track patterns and maintain reliable oversight, resulting in inaccuracies in the home’s records and leaders being unable to track progress and manage risk effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visitor does not provide the level of scrutiny required to assure the quality and safety of practice in the home. Reports lack evaluation and do not identify shortfalls or drive improvement. Consequently, leaders do not receive the independent challenge they need to understand weaknesses. The absence of robust external oversight means opportunities to strengthen practice are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Serious incidents and allegations against staff are not always notified to Ofsted in a timely manner and when they are the information provided lacks factual details. This limits the regulator’s understanding of how the home is functioning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervisions do not take place in line with the home’s statement of purpose and are of poor quality. This is because children’s plans, risks, progress and incidents are not explored or reflected on. Staff are not provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice, understand risk or improve how they respond to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Arrangements for the safe recruitment of safe are poor and compromise children’s safety. For example, leaders do not consistently explore gaps in staff employment histories or verify references, meaning they do not fully understand potential areas of concern. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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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, 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that staff clearly record missing from home incidents and demonstrate professional curiosity in exploring related risk and exploitation, when children return home. 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)) 5 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) (b)(viii)(i)(ii) (c))

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

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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;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 9 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 5 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 5 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 10 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children receive a consistent staff response in relation to self-injurious behaviours. 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 11 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that staff supervision is of good quality. Supervision should be used to explore and reflect on children’s incidents and risks and to take place in line with the frequency stated in the home’s statement of purpose.

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii) (b)) 5 September 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). The requirements are that— 5 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 12 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that gaps in work history and previous references are fully explored prior to recruiting. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information and key working on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person makes a rigorous impartial assessment of the home, which supports leaders and managers to drive improvements and further develop the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is partnership working with children’s placing local authorities in respect of children’s relevant plans. In particular, that the home’s care planning is in line with and informed by the placing authorities’ care planning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 57, paragraph 11.11)

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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: 2850434 13 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Early Rise Care ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4PN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Onthatile Mojeremane

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Inspectors

Ben Wilson, Social Care Inspector (lead) Sheniz Hudaverdi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2850434 14 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspectors

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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Inspectors

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