Children's Home run by Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd 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 for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The children did not wish to contribute to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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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: 2508525 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2026 Full Good 17/03/2025 Full Good 07/03/2024 Full Good 01/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 3

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Summary of findings

One child has moved into the home, and one child has moved out. Transitions for children are well thought out and planned. Education has been advocated for, resulting in all children accessing increased hours of learning. There have been some significant incidents involving children. Managers have reflected on these incidents, identified learning, and implemented prompt actions that staff are now embedding into practice. Difficulties with staffing continuity have affected the pace at which these changes could be implemented, resulting in repeated incidents. Rotas now reflect a strong core staff team, providing children with greater consistency in care and relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions are well considered, and their voices are central to the process. When children move into the home, the manager considers the impact on both the child and the other children living there. This is also balanced with the skills of the staff. As a result, transitions are smooth and well planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak with children when they are preparing to leave the home and encourage them to express their views and wishes. These are taken into account when planning the child’s move. Staff support children to develop independence skills, helping to prepare them for the next stage of their lives. Staff share information with children about their next steps, giving them time to ask questions before they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has strongly advocated for children’s access to education. All children have experienced an increase in their educational hours and greater stability in their respective provisions. One child has progressed from just 30 minutes of education each day to accessing a near full-time timetable. Another child was able to attend an end-of-year residential trip, sit their examinations, and build friendships with peers that were sustained over the summer holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have conversations with children that are planned and purposeful. These conversations are matched to the children’s age and cognitive understanding. Children speak with adults about important topics and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings. Children’s requests for activities throughout the summer have been acted on, as have requests for personalised items for their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are recognised and rewarded for their positive behaviour and achievements. For one child, during a period of crisis, the home identified the need for protected time with staff and structured incentives. Since these have been put in place, the child has experienced a significant reduction in incidents over recent weeks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 4

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

There have been repeated incidents where children have engaged in unsafe behaviour together. These include going missing and accessing the garage roof repeatedly, which has caused significant damage. Following each incident, managers have ensured that action is taken in response. New fencing has been put in place promptly, and any damage has been repaired. Staff are confident with the new strategies and clear approach to prevent reoccurrence. This includes new structured routines and plans for children and new incentive systems. These measures have already started to be effective in reducing incidents.

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

Managers have not always ensured that core staff members have been working each day. Repeated significant incidents have occurred on days when staff from other homes have been working in the home. Those staff have not had sufficient knowledge of the agreed strategies to use when children have displayed behaviour which may challenge them. Plans are now in place to ensure that staff working each day are all known to the children and confident in implementing their plans. Additional support is in place, with managers being in the home every evening until children are settled in bed. This has been effective in providing additional oversight and stability.

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

Managers have effective oversight of all incidents and the actions staff take. They use this oversight to reflect with staff on how incidents may have been prevented through a timelier response. However, not all records reflect this level of information about the actions taken by staff and how children responded.

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

Staff responded proactively to one child who was at risk of exploitation. They have been responsive to any changes in presentation for the child, resulting in them escalating concerns in relation to the child’s wellbeing. Managers devised creative solutions with the police to support staff when the child was missing and to help ensure the child’s safe return. Staff had regular conversations regarding these risks with the child to help them understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

There have been occasions when children have been physically held. Records detail the behaviours leading up to the incidents and the measures used in response. Management oversight highlights that such measures were necessary and proportionate in response. Physical intervention is always used as a last resort and for the shortest time necessary.

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

Children’s plans are clear and detailed. They are updated after every incident with the agreed new strategies and approaches. The plans are then shared with staff to ensure that they are confident in any new approaches to take when supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a confident and hands-on leader. She knows and understands the children and their individual needs and ensures that they receive personalised care. The manager leads by example and has warm and nurturing relationships with the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 5 The manager has recently spent some time away from the home, which has coincided with the escalation in incidents. She has maintained detailed knowledge of every incident, the actions taken and the areas for continued development. The manager reflects well on staff practice and introduces new systems for staff to follow to help reduce incidents. However, reflection has not been clearly evidenced in the manager’s oversight documents, as they do not include identified actions and when they have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff know the children well. They are aware of the recent escalation in incidents and have a good understanding of the agreed approach to managing these. Staff are already seeing the positive changes resulting from the implemented plans and consistent approaches with the children, and they understand the impact this is having on keeping children safe. Staff talk positively about children and their relationships. They know how to work with each individual child, including meeting any sensory needs they have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by managers and senior leaders. Through weekly team meetings, clear guidance has been provided on how to best support the children. Staff are informed about all incidents and any learning. They are provided with opportunities to reflect and learn each week. As a result, prompt action has been taken to reduce the likelihood of repeated incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training as part of the induction process. Therapeutic support is well embedded in day-to-day care, ensuring that approaches are informed to meet the needs of children. One child has a diagnosis of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while the other 2 children are on the pathway for assessment. Staff have not yet received training that would strengthen their knowledge of these needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision; however, they have not always been aware when conversations have been written as single-point supervision entries. In addition, staff have not consistently reviewed their documents or signed to confirm they agree with the content.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some shortfalls in the safer recruitment process, including some gaps in the recording and verification of information required. This does not provide assurance that the provider has assessed the suitability of all staff to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 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

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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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that a sufficient number of core staff are on shift each day who know and understand the children’s risks and are able to respond in line with agreed plans. 25 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 7 This also relates to ensuring that management oversight documents reflect known learning, the actions taken, and any areas identified for improvement.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, managers must ensure that incident records contain sufficient detail regarding the actions taken and the responses of children.

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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).

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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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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that 2 written references are received.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to reference requests, including the start and end dates of employment, to align with the full employment history provided. 25 November 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that both the person providing supervision and the staff member have a copy, or have reviewed and signed a copy, of the record of supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are suitably trained to meet the assessed needs of all the children in the home. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 8

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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: 2508525 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, Bingham Enterprise Centre, Mercia Court, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8QX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bethany Sutherland

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Inspector

Becki Cornes-Sinclair, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2508525 10 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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