Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 1 SC470645 Registered provider: SureCare Residential Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home, and 3 children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 1 December 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/12/2025 Full Good 15/01/2025 Full Good 26/09/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 3

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Summary of findings

The experiences and safety of children living in this home remain inconsistent. While some changes have been made to address the shortfalls identified at the last inspection, managers have failed to take sufficient action to meet all the requirements and recommendations, and these have been repeated. Although there have been some positive aspects of practice, these have been outweighed by weaknesses in leadership and management. As a result, leaders and managers have not demonstrated the capacity to secure sustained improvement or ensure children are consistently safeguarded.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management have been identified, which means that the overall effectiveness of the service requires improvement. While children make good progress in some areas of their lives, weaknesses in oversight and safeguarding practice mean that children do not consistently receive the high-quality care and protection they need.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the home is maintained to a good standard; it provides ample space for children to socialise as well as areas that support privacy. The garden is an enjoyable space, where a child has vegetable boxes, which provide learning and produce that the children use to make meals. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised and reflect children’s preferences and interests. However, during the inspection, a strong, unpleasant odour was noted in one child’s bedroom, which could not readily be explained. This suggests that staff may need to explore more thoroughly the cleanliness and hygiene of the room to ensure it is comfortable for the child.

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are carefully planned and well managed. The home has achieved several positive endings for children, supporting them to make meaningful progress and move on successfully. Although one child’s time in the home ended abruptly, the progress made by all children is recognised and celebrated. This means that children leave with a sense of achievement and positive memories of their experiences. One child expressed their confidence and optimism for the future by stating, ‘I am going to make you guys so proud.’

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a commitment to supporting children to achieve their potential. The child-centred approach enables children to recognise their strengths and aspirations. Staff support children to strive towards positive outcomes while developing and understanding realistic expectations and age-appropriate boundaries. As a result, children are making progress and are supported to achieve positive changes in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 4 Staff build warm, trusting and positive relationships with children. They actively engage children in a wide range of activities that reflect their individual interests and strengths. This supports children’s social development and helps improve their self-confidence. Children are involved in charitable activities to help local communities and communities abroad. This promotes empathy, social responsibility, a sense of belonging and the

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improvement to be good

Children’s identities are well promoted. Children spend time with family and people who are important to them in the community and in the home. They are supported to explore their identity, including their culture, heritage, religious beliefs and gender, in a variety of ways. This helps children to be proud of who they are and to respect and celebrate difference.

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improvement to be good

Staff receive training and have clear guidance on how to respond to safeguarding concerns through the provider’s policies and procedures, as well as children’s individualised plans. Despite this, there are weaknesses in safeguarding practice. Staff have failed to consistently follow safeguarding procedures and report concerns witnessed within the home. These failures include the use of physical restraint not in accordance with approved methods, as well as delays in staff raising concerns and whistleblowing. This has compromised the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and increased the risk of harm to children.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, a safeguarding concern unfolded, which indicated that overnight supervision arrangements had been insufficient. One child cared for 2 younger children and prepared food unsupervised, and one child slept in another child’s bedroom. Staff were aware that children were awake and not in their rooms but did not intervene. This shortfall demonstrated weaknesses in staff vigilance and called into question the openness and urgency to act by the managers, who failed to alert the inspector to the concerns until several hours had passed. These concerns related to a specific incident rather than widespread failures, and children did not experience actual harm.

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improvement to be good

Following an incident where a child had sustained an injury, managers and staff permitted the child to travel alone over a considerable distance to a family member, despite being in a heightened state of crisis, distress and vulnerability. Opportunities to fully consider the child’s vulnerabilities and potential risks associated with the journey were missed. Management oversight was insufficient, lacked curiosity and failed to critically evaluate the decision-making. While the child did not experience actual harm as a result of this decision-making, the child’s welfare was not adequately prioritised. This decision did not demonstrate effective assessment and risk management.

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improvement to be good

Allegations are taken seriously by the manager, who promptly shares concerns with the relevant professionals. Investigations are undertaken when concerns arise. Learning is Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 5 identified but has yet to be consistently embedded in practice. As a result, shortfalls continue to arise, raising concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring and oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that children consistently receive safe and effective care. Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice, oversight and decision- making have increased the risks to children. Leaders and managers acknowledge the shortfalls identified in the care provided to children. They have undertaken learning reviews and have shared this learning with staff, introducing additional changes to care- planning processes and monitoring systems. Changes are recent and have not yet sufficiently embedded into the culture of the home or led to consistent improvements in practice to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents are poor. Following an incident, a senior member of staff instructed less-experienced staff not to record or report concerns in line with regulation and expectations. This prevents accountability and effective oversight and creates a culture in which concerns may not be escalated in a timely manner. Such actions compromise the manager’s ability to identify, assess and respond to potential risks to children’s safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they feel supported by the managers and describe them as approachable. Staff receive regular practice-led supervisions, and team meetings provide opportunities for reflection and learning. These arrangements support staff development and promote teamwork, and contribute to more-consistent care for children. However, this has not been effective in improving staff practice or preventing the shortfalls identified in this inspection. Leaders have recognised the need for improvement and have strengthened oversight arrangements with the appointment of a compliance manager and a renewed focus on quality assurance. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 7 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risks to children are identified promptly and responded to effectively to reduce the potential for harm to children and others. This includes ensuring that safeguarding concerns are fully addressed in line with safeguarding policies and statutory requirements.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 8 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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must implement robust quality assurance and monitoring systems and maintain effective oversight of the home to improve the quality of care provided.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 9 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff use approved measures of restraint and that they are recorded and reported without delay.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff, including the manager, are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC470645 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SureCare Residential Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Snap Factory, Twyford Road, Bishops Stortford CM23 3LJ

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Inspector

Tonia Dubidat, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC470645 11 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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