Children's Home run by Blossom Fields Residential Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report children's home: 2844816 1 Registered provider: Blossom Fields Residential Care 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

This is a privately owned children's home that is registered to care for up to 3 children. There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection. This is the homes first inspection since being registered in March 2026.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager position is currently vacant.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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Date of last inspection:

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Date of last inspection:

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2844816 2

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Summary of findings

Staff meet children's individual needs and develop trusting relationships with them. This supports children to make progress in relation to their health, well-being, and ability to understand and manage their emotions.

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Summary of findings

Staff keep children safer and protect them from harm. However, on a small number of occasions, the strategies used by staff to manage children's complex emotions and behaviours were not proportionate. Shortfalls in risk assessments affect staff's ability to implement children's safety and care plans consistently. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and have developed plans to address the shortfalls relating to behaviour management strategies.

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Summary of findings

Staff's mandatory training is up to date. However, recruitment procedures do not fully meet the necessary requirements for evidencing that staff are suitable for their roles. In some cases, staff appointments are influenced by personal relationships rather than being based on suitability and competence. This reduces staff confidence in using whistleblowing and escalation procedures effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide individualised care that helps children settle into the home. Staff implement routines and boundaries that take account of children's stage of development and individual needs. This supports children to develop healthier lifestyles and reduces their isolation. For example, one child is spending more time out of their bedroom because of the routines established at the home. Staff encourage regular walks in nature and opportunities to feed horses, which have a positive impact on children's overall well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are registered with primary healthcare services and seek specialist support when required. Leaders take an effective multi-agency approach to meeting children's physical and emotional health needs, which promotes consistent responses to their needs. As a result, children are making progress in relation to long- standing health conditions and emotional difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider places children's wishes and views at the centre of the day-to-day running of the home. Staff know children well and use creative communication methods to interact with them. For example, staff use 'happiness notes' and 'shout-out cards' to recognise children's achievements, emotions and progress. This helps children feel valued and contributes to increased confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families and other people who are important to them. This includes providing practical support by facilitating family visits at Inspection report children's home: 2844816 3 the home, when appropriate. Staff promote positive relationships between children and their parents. When these relationships are strained, staff provide appropriate support and mediation to improve communication and outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not in education, staff engage them in educational activities and work proactively with social workers to identify suitable alternative education provision. One social worker spoke positively about the provider's support and advocacy in promoting a child's educational needs and well-being during a period when the child was experiencing difficulties at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are appropriately matched to children's interests, abilities and needs and provide meaningful opportunities for learning and development. They support children to make progress against the targets identified in their plans. Children participate in a wide range of activities, many of which they choose themselves. These activities help children to develop their independence skills, including managing money, making purchases, interacting with others in the community and building positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is maintained to a good standard and meets children's needs. Children benefit from access to a sensory room and an activity room. However, one child's bathroom was unhygienic and had a persistent odour. Although staff clean the bathroom daily, leaders and staff have not identified sufficiently effective measures to address this ongoing issue.

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

Staff safeguard children effectively. They use trauma-informed, relationship-based approaches to support children's emotional well-being and behaviour. Children develop positive relationships with staff and can identify at least one trusted adult they can talk to about their worries and concerns. Children say that they feel safe, listened to and well supported by staff and leaders.

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

Staff and leaders are effective advocates for children's rights and challenge discriminatory behaviour. For example, one child felt well supported by staff, who advocated on their behalf and helped them manage their emotions when they experienced bullying.

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

Staff support children to take risks that are appropriate to their level of understanding as part of developing their independence skills. Staff and leaders help children understand how to keep themselves safe and encourage them to learn from events and incidents when things do not go to plan. Children's emotional behaviour support plans are child- friendly, and risks are clearly identified using language that children can understand. Staff use these plans to help children understand how they will be supported when they are worried or in crisis.

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

Staff's nurturing approach promotes children's sense of security and helps them make steady progress, particularly in understanding and managing their emotions. This contributes to improvements in children's ability to manage their worries, anxieties and Inspection report children's home: 2844816 4 behaviours when interacting with others. For example, one child's relationship with their social worker has improved. In addition, significant restrictions that had been implemented to keep the child safe have gradually reduced.

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

When children leave the home without permission, leaders and staff work effectively with partner agencies and parents in accordance with children's individual needs and safety plans. This results in a coordinated and proactive response from the team around the child and helps to reduce risks associated with heightened emotions and self- harming behaviours. Children's attempts to leave the home without permission have reduced.

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

Staff understand children's risks and can identify when children may be struggling. Physical intervention is used only as a last resort. Staff generally use effective de- escalation techniques, and one social worker spoke positively about their ability to manage incidents calmly. However, this was not always the case shortly after one child moved into the home. On a small number of occasions, staff requested police assistance to help manage the child's complex emotions and behaviours. In addition, one safety plan relating to self-harming behaviours relied too heavily on the child's ability to seek support independently. The responsible individual has reflected on these incidents and acknowledged that the responses were not proportionate or helpful for the child.

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

Risk assessments do not always provide staff with clear and effective guidance on how to manage risks. They do not sufficiently distinguish between identified risks and the practical strategies that staff should implement to reduce those risks. This affects staff's understanding of how they are expected to support children. Not all staff fully understand how to implement the restrictions set out in children's care plans. Although children have not experienced harm as a result, these shortfalls have affected the consistency and effectiveness of staff practice. Leaders have reflected on these issues and are in the process of reviewing and strengthening behaviour management strategies.

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

The registered manager post is currently vacant. The home is being managed by the deputy manager, who is also one of the directors. However, she was not present during the inspection. The deputy manager/director has limited management experience and is undertaking additional training to develop her skills in this area.

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

The responsible individual is providing enhanced management oversight while the provider recruits a registered manager. The responsible individual was present during the inspection and was supported by a senior member of staff.

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

The responsible individual and senior staff demonstrate a good understanding of children's needs, effective behaviour management and safeguarding practice. They have high aspirations for the children in their care and support staff effectively to meet children's individual needs. As this is a newly registered home, the provider has not yet Inspection report children's home: 2844816 5 had the opportunity to demonstrate how it will meet the needs of more than one child living in the home.

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

Leaders understand the strengths and areas for development within the home. The responsible individual and senior staff lead by example in implementing the home's therapeutic approach and behaviour management strategies. The provider works effectively with partner agencies to develop its understanding of children's experiences and the factors that contribute to their progress. Leaders promote reflective practice and encourage staff to learn from incidents, as well as from feedback provided by children and their families.

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

Leaders promote a positive culture and encourage staff to take collective responsibility for meeting children's needs, which contributes to consistency of care. Staff report feeling well supported by the previous registered manager and current leaders. Agency staff are rarely used. When agency staff are required, leaders use the same individuals whenever possible to promote continuity of care. Agency staff work alongside permanent staff who know the children well.

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

Staff's mandatory training is up to date. However, recruitment procedures do not consistently demonstrate that staff are suitable for their roles. For example, although leaders complete safeguarding checks on staff, these are not always sufficiently documented. In addition, records relating to gaps in employment histories, references and verification of references do not always meet the required standard.

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

Staff appointments are not always based solely on suitability and competence. Personal relationships have influenced recruitment decisions. For example, there is evidence of preferential treatment towards family members and a lack of transparency about it. This undermines effective management oversight and demonstrates weaknesses in leadership and management arrangements.

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

Family relationships within the management structure have reduced some staff members' confidence in using whistleblowing and escalation procedures. For example, staff reported uncertainty about who would receive concerns raised through the available reporting channels, other than the responsible individual. Staff do not feel confident about raising concerns regarding one family member in a senior position with another family member who holds a management role within the organisation.

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

The deputy manager's dual role as both a director and operational manager is not sufficiently well defined. This affects staff's understanding of organisational hierarchy, accountability and the management structure. It has also contributed to conflict between the previous registered manager and the deputy manager/director regarding their respective roles and responsibilities, particularly in relation to budgets, financial decision- making and the day-to-day running of the home. Furthermore, the effectiveness of leadership and management is reduced when key managers are not always readily available due to additional working commitments outside the running of the children's home. Inspection report children's home: 2844816 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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Statutory requirements

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

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Statutory requirements

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (Regulation 6 (1) (iv))

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Statutory requirements

In particular, supporting children with their personal hygiene and ensuring that the bathroom is always kept clean and hygienic. 1 February

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Statutory requirements

The requirements include that— the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Statutory requirements

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

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied by all staff at all times, particularly in relation to restrictions, physical intervention and self-harming techniques in line with the child's care plan and individual needs. Leaders should ensure that there is consistency in the implementation of these measures. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', paragraph 9.34) Inspection report children's home: 2844816 7  Those with a leadership and/or management role should be visible and accessible to staff and able to deliver their leadership and/or management responsibilities. Any registered manager employed in the home should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the Quality Standards are met for each child in the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', paragraph 10.7)

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Recommendations

 Any registered manager placed in charge of a children's home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory role should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children's home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', paragraph 10.21)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be made familiar with the home's internal whistleblowing procedures through the induction process and refresher training. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', paragraph 10.9) Inspection report children's home: 2844816 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 children's home: 2844816 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Blossom Fields Residential Care Limited

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Inspectors

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Steve de Souza, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2844816 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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