Children's Home run by John-Edwards Care Homes Limited in Swindon

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 1 SC437171 Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care and accommodation for up to 4 children who have learning and physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home and the inspector spent time with them all.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2022.

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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: SC437171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Good 15/10/2024 Full Good 15/01/2024 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 3

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Summary of findings

Children make good progress and benefit from personalised care that meets their complex needs. Effective healthcare support, strong advocacy and positive experiences help children to develop and achieve.

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from warm and trusting relationships with staff, helping them to feel safe, develop confidence and build positive relationships with others. Staff listen to children and work with relevant professionals to promote children’s welfare.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are a visible and supportive presence in the home. Staff are well supported to develop their skills and deliver effective care that helps children to make progress and enjoy positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points. They are provided with personalised care from a staff team that knows them well and understand their complex needs. Staff provide consistent support that helps children to develop and enjoy positive experiences. Children are encouraged to access education and the community, which supports them to have new experiences and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from exceptional healthcare support and highly effective multi-agency working. This ensures that children’s complex medical needs are met and enhances their quality of life. Staff are attentive to children’s health needs and seek specialist advice and guidance when necessary. Managers and staff strongly advocate for children to ensure that their needs are met and that they receive the support they require from external services. As a result, children benefit from positive healthcare outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to communicate with those around them, and they are supported to contribute to decisions about their care. Staff value children’s views and respect their right to change their minds. This helps children to develop confidence, exercise choice and have a positive influence over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Thorough planning and effective support enable children to move on from the home in a positive way. Staff work closely with professionals to ensure that children’s needs are understood and that they become familiar with their new home and carers. Before one child moved out, staff celebrated their achievements with them and ensured that their experience of leaving was positive and meaningful for them. This was made particularly memorable as staff had arranged for the child’s sporting hero to visit the home and take part in the celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create personalised scrapbooks with children that capture important memories, achievements and milestones. Children contribute to these books by choosing Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 4 photographs and other keepsakes, which encourages them to reflect on the positive experiences they have had. The scrapbooks are thoughtfully produced and provide children with a lasting record of their progress, journey and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is mostly warm and homely, and children’s bedrooms are well- maintained and personalised in line with their interests. However, some environmental restrictions detract from the otherwise homely feel. Improvements in the garden have enhanced the outdoor space, which includes play equipment and a hot tub. However, children are currently unable to use the hot hub because the specialist equipment needed to support safe access has been left at another location.

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

Staff have developed positive and trusting relationships with children. Interactions are warm, nurturing and responsive, which help children to feel safe and cared for. Staff support children to build positive relationships and develop their social skills. As a result, children are more confident and enjoy spending time with others and forming friendships. Children experience a sense of belonging and benefit from positive shared experiences.

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

Staff encourage children to express their views, wishes and feelings. Staff listen to children and respond to their individual needs. When concerns about children’s safety and welfare are identified, staff take appropriate action to help children stay safe.

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

Staff are vigilant to signs that children may be at risk of harm. Following incidents of concern, leaders and managers appropriately support staff to reflect on what happened and what could be done differently in the future. This helps to promote learning and improve practice. Concerns about children’s safety are shared with relevant professionals, and appropriate action is taken to review care arrangements and develop staff skills when necessary.

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

Staff follow safe and robust procedures for the storage, administration and recording of medication, which minimise the risk of errors. However, when a medication error was made, staff were supported to reflect on what happened and identify learning. This helped to strengthen practice and reduce the likelihood of a similar error occurring in the future.

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

Although staff respond appropriately when concerns about children’s safety are identified, leaders and managers do not have effective systems in place to monitor and track these concerns. This limits their ability to identify patterns, trends and take proactive action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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

Leaders and managers use safer recruitment procedures to determine that staff are suitable to work with children. However, they do not always sufficiently explore gaps in employment history. As a result, there are vulnerabilities in safer recruitment practice that could put children at increased risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well and is committed to their care. They are actively involved in the day-to-day running of the home and are a strong advocate for children, which ensures that their needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a consistent and visible presence in the home, and they provide effective support to children and staff. As a result, children and staff benefit from stable leadership and child-centre care that is focused on progress and positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s complex needs are well understood. Staff are provided with clear guidance and support to deliver effective and consistent care that helps children to make progress and enjoy positive experiences. Warm and enduring relationships with children and their families contribute to a strong sense of belonging and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to maintain and develop the skills and experience they need to provide effective care to children and protect them from harm. Leaders and managers recognise that training alone does not ensure that children’s needs are met, nor does it keep children safe. As a result, leaders and managers place an emphasis on ensuring that staff can apply their knowledge to their day-to-day role. When children’s need change, staff are provided with suitable opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. This helps staff to meet children’s needs and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems for monitoring and reviewing the quality of care are not always used effectively to support continuous improvement. In addition, staff supervision sessions and team meetings do not consistently provide opportunities for staff to reflect on children’s needs, relationships and progress. As a result, opportunities to evaluate practice and further develop the care provided to children are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home and take pride in helping children to make progress and enjoy a wide range of opportunities and experiences. They feel well supported by leaders and managers and describe the home as a safe and nurturing environment where children are cared for and their achievements are celebrated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 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 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must use review and monitoring systems to ensure robust oversight of the care and protection of children. The registered person must review and evaluate the quality of care that is provided to children and promote continuous improvement. 31 October 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

The registered person may only— 31 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 7 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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that modifications to the environment of the home are only made where there is a clear and identified need and risk to children. In addition, the registered person should ensure that children are provided with the physical necessities they need to enable them to access their home and live their comfortably. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: SC437171 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: John-Edwards Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Suffolk Way, Sevenoaks TN13 1YL

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437171 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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