Children's Home run by Collective Care Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 1 Registered provider: Collective Care 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. It provides care for up to 6 children with learning disabilities or sensory impairment.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Four children have moved into the home, and no children have moved out since the last inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Six children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. None were spoken with.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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: 2797987 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, children have made positive progress. They have developed meaningful relationships with staff, engaged in education, enjoyed a range of activities, and spent time with their families. There are no safeguarding concerns raised by staff, families, or professionals. Feedback from both professionals and families is positive, with confidence expressed in the care being provided to the children. However, there has been insufficient management oversight in some areas. This has resulted in several shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home, which have impacted the effectiveness of monitoring and governance arrangements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care that reflects their needs, preferences, and identities. Their bedrooms are personalised to their tastes, and the home environment reflects their interests through features such as photographs of children and staff, sensory spaces, and playrooms. This helps to create a warm, welcoming, and familiar environment where children feel safe, relaxed, and comfortable. Children have access to spaces where they can spend time alone when they wish, supporting their emotional well-being, independence, and sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed trusting and secure relationships with staff. Children’s daily routines are well structured. A social worker said that their child has ‘thrived’ since living at the home and, ‘They [staff] have provided good routine and structure, they are great.’ Children benefit from a range of activities that reflect their interests and hobbies. Positive, warm and nurturing interactions were observed between the children and staff, with lots of laughter, and staff being responsive to the individual needs of the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and have a clear understanding of their individual needs. Staff also have a good understanding of children’s health needs and work closely with external agencies to support children with health concerns.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where safe and appropriate, staff support children to maintain links with those who are important to them. Parents spoke positively about the care their children receive. A parent said that staff are ‘absolutely brilliant’ with their child and their child’s speech and communication had come on in ‘leaps and bounds’ since living at the home. Another parent said, I am very happy with the care my child receives, ‘I can’t fault them [staff].

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. They encourage children to persevere with their education. When children face challenges or setbacks in education, the staff and manager proactively advocate for them. This means children access education that is tailored to their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 4 Staff spend meaningful time with children, helping them to develop trusting relationships and providing regular opportunities for children to share their views, wishes, and feelings. However, staff do not consistently provide children with feedback or help them to understand how their views have been considered and acted upon. As a result, children are not always supported to see the impact of their contributions. In addition, an independent visitor undertakes monthly visits to the home. However, arrangements are not always effective in supporting the visitor to obtain feedback

p.3

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. They approach children in a sensitive and thoughtful way, taking time to help them identify and understand potential risks. As a result, children feel supported rather than judged, which helps them to develop awareness of risk in a safe and trusting environment. This approach supports children to build confidence, improve their decision-making and better understand how to keep themselves safe.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers ensure that safe recruitment practices are followed. Staff are assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures help promote the safety of the children by reducing the potential of unsuitable adults working with them.

p.4

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

Children’s risk management plans are regularly reviewed. These cover a range of risks that are responsive to incidents and include individual strategies that staff use to support the children. There has been no missing from home incidents and no complaints or allegations against staff.

p.4

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

Physical interventions have been necessary and proportionate; however, leaders and managers do not appropriately review and scrutinise these interventions.

p.4

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

Staff understand their child protection responsibilities. However, some staff are not confident and familiar with the organisation’s whistleblowing procedure, this could leave children at risk if an incident occurred requiring them to whistle blow.

p.4

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

The front door is a fire exit, there is a bolt lock on the door for the safety of the children however, some children cannot reach the lock, this means they are not able to access this exit independently in the event of a fire. Furthermore, there are delays in children and staff taking part in fire drills. This could have an impact on evacuation procedures in the event of a fire.

p.4

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

Staff do not always work together effectively as a cohesive team. Although team meetings are held monthly, attendance is inconsistent. This is despite staff being rostered to attend and the option being available to join meetings virtually. Management Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 5 has not taken sufficient action to address poor attendance or to encourage staff engagement in these important forums.

p.4

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

Some staff said that colleagues do not always follow established procedures and management guidance. They said that management does not consistently challenge or address these concerns when they arise. As a result, there are emerging inconsistencies in practice and a perceived divide within the staff team. These shortfalls undermine effective team working and have the potential to impact the consistency and quality of care provided to children.

p.5

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

Some staff have completed a relevant qualification, and some staff are working towards completing a relevant qualification. However, leaders and managers have not scrutinised some staff member’s previous qualifications to ensure they are relevant and appropriate to their roles.

p.5

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision and annual appraisal of their performance. This provides opportunities to review their performance and contribute to their professional development.

p.5

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

Some staff spoke positively about their experience of working in the home and describe feeling valued and supported in their roles. They are enthusiastic, motivated and committed to providing high-quality care for children and feel that they receive effective support from managers.

p.5

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

The manager is experienced and has a relevant qualification. She is supported by the responsible individual and an experienced deputy manager.

p.5

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

Feedback was positive from professionals, a social worker said, communication with the staff was great, they had consistent communication with the manager, and they receive regular updates about their child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)) 7 September 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that children can independently access fire exists in the event of a fire. 7 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 7 The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; (Regulation 7 (1)(c) 2(a)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon.

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that, in accordance with regulation 44, staff help the independent person to obtain feedback from children. 7 September 2026

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny. They should ensure that managerial oversight is completed within 48 hours. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s internal whistleblowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 8  The registered person should ensure that they establish whether staff’s existing qualifications are equivalent to either the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare; and/ or the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68,

p.7

Recommendations

paragraph 1.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 9

p.8

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: 2797987 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Collective Care Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Collective Properties 28-42 Clements Road, Office 223a Olympic House, Ilford, Essex IG1 1BA

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Katherine Baker-Brown

p.10

Inspector

Anver Rose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2797987 11 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.

p.10

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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11