Children's Home run by PSS Care Group Limited in Essex

Inspection report children's home: 2571480 1 Registered provider: Pss Care Group Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home opened in January 2020 and provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. It is run by a private organisation.

p.1

Information about this children's home

There is currently three children living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 30 September 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2571480 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Good 15/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2571480 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Staff are attuned to children’s needs and know them well. Children are supported to express their identity and discover their likes and interests. Staff work effectively with the wider professional network and build relationships with the people who are imporant to the children. Despite detailed behaviour management plans, on one occasion, staff did not follow or adequately supervise children which resulted in an incident taking place. An internal investigation highlighted the shortfalls in staff practice and subsequent learning has been implemented. Similarly, on one occasion a child disclosed information of concern but there was no evidence this has been reported to police prior to the inspection. Two recommendations from the last full inspection have been reinstated.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have lived at the home. One child has moved out. There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection and all spent time with the inspector. One child moved out following an incident, the staff supported the child to settle at another home owned by the provider. This gave the child the opportunity to be cared for by familiar staff members and move closer to family.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living at the home have made good progress. One child who has been out of education for some time has passed recent mock exams and will be taking GCSE exams. This helps children to obtain qualifications and prepare for their futures.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to discover interests and have new experiences. Staff are creative and plan adventurous days out which have included visiting different places and doing activities like cycling and visiting museums. These opportunities allow children to create positive memories. Staff create memory books for children. This enables children to reflect on their experiences and time spent at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attuned to children’s individual needs. Children are supported to learn about risks through key-worker sessions. One child showed a lack of understanding regarding consent, the staff used helpful analogies to successfully communicate important information to the child in a way they understood. This helps children to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use external agencies. One child was referred to a specialist service. This child can access guidance and advice in line with their needs. Staff support children to access in- house therapy to support their emotional wellbeing. One professional said, ‘Having the security, reliability and people that know and understand [child’s name] helped them make sense of some of the difficulties they were going through.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers carefully consider care planning. Thorough assessment of risks children’s needs and the combined dynamics take place before children move in. One Inspection report children's home: 2571480 4 child moved out following a safeguarding incident. Following this, leaders and managers considered learning, decision-making, and future actions to ensure similar events do not occur. As a result, the vulnerabilities of children living at the home are considered and learning opportunities are identified.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the home has a welcoming and cosy atmosphere. There are personalised touches throughout, with decoration and cartoons of the staff and children. However, the upstairs carpet requires replacing with signs of wear and staining. This was identified at the last inspection and has not been addressed.

p.4

improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child disclosed information of concern that was not acted on quickly. There is no record that the manager shared the information with the police. While ongoing work took place with the child to improve their awareness of risk, this delay did not fully safeguard the child.

p.4

improvement to be good

Behaviour management plans provide clear direction for staff to follow. However, the staff have not consistently followed these plans. As a result, an incident occurred between two children which resulted in one child being arrested and subject to bail conditions. An internal investigation concluded that staff did not follow risk assessments or adequately supervise the children. The manager has taken action with those involved and educated the staff team to prevent similar incidents occurring.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff generally carry out room searches to keep children safe. These are proportionate and children are informed and included when possible. On one occasion a child contacted a confidential support line. As a result, emergency services attended the home and measures were put in place to safeguard the child. However, a room search was not conducted meaning some items that could have caused harm remained in the child’s room until they handed them over to staff voluntarily.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children are missing from home, the staff manage these incidents well. Staff follow missing-from-home protocols and work collaboratively with the wider network to locate children. This helps to keep children safe. Staff provide children with clear and consistent boundaries. Staff use incentives to encourage positive choices and when consequences are necessary, decisions are reached with the involvement of the child’s family and professional network. The manager reflects on these decisions to ensure they remain proportionate and effective.

p.4

improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used as a last resort. Staff are skilled in de-escalating heightened emotions which prevents the need to physically intervene. This supports children to regulate their emotions in a positive way.

p.4

improvement to be good

When new children move in, they are informed of fire procedures and take part in practice drills. This helps to keep children safe. Inspection report children's home: 2571480 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. Staff are positive about their roles and the support provided by the manager. One member of staff said, ‘Teamwork is really important for us, and we thrive on this, it brings us together and makes this house a real home with that special feeling that you get when walking into a warm and safe environment.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training that helps them meet the children’s individual needs. Staff are trained in therapeutic approaches which guides their practice and interactions with children. The home is part of a therapeutic community which provides oversight to ensure that the home is working in line with therapeutic standards. Leaders and managers have developed a framework of care which is monitored through the progress and the experiences of children. This provides an additional level of monitoring.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work effectively with the wider professional network. The staff work alongside other professionals to meet the needs of children. One professional said they were, ‘very impressed with the home’s knowledge, support and any concerns have been shared in a timely manner.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Strong processes are in place to monitor recruitment. When staff are employed to work for the company, thorough checks ensure they are suitable. This helps to keep children safe from unsuitable people. Staff are supported to obtain relevant qualifications within the required timeframe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions. The manager provides various opportunities for the staff to reflect on their practice and seek learning opportunities through team meetings, single-subject supervision meetings, and annual appraisals. This allows the staff to develop their practice. When there are concerns about staff practice, the manager provides opportunity for reflection and identifies areas for development. However, on one occasion, poor staff practice identified in an internal investigation was not addressed in supervision and did not reflect the concerns raised by a child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and current challenges they face. The review of the quality-of-care report includes analysis of the impact of care on children. However, this report was submitted to Ofsted late. This was the case at the last inspection and therefore this recommendation has been reinstated. Inspection report children's home: 2571480 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

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)(iv)(v)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when children share information of concern, action is taken to report to the relevant professionals such as police.

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure staff appropriately supervise children at the home to prevent incidents occurring.

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff follow children's relevant plans.

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure room searches are clearly documented if concerns arise around self-harm or children's welfare. 10 September 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2571480 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the decoration of the home is maintained to a good standard, and carpets are replaced. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the quality-of-care report is generated at least once every six months. The report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.3)  The registered person should ensure they lead and manage a team which provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. When shortfalls are identified in staff practice, de-briefs should evidence that all aspects of concern have been discussed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

p.7

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 children's home: 2571480 8

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider: Pss Care Group Limited

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 2 Laser Quay, Culpeper close, Rochester, Kent ME2 4HU

p.8

Inspector

Sophie Levy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2571480 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