Children's Home run by 4d Care Ltd in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 1 Registered provider: 4d Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and holds a relevant management qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: On 5 May 2026, a full inspection was carried out at this home, during which concerns were identified, resulting in an ‘inadequate’ judgement. Consequently, compliance notices were issued under Regulations 12, 13 and 35 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. In addition, a notice restricting accommodation was issued.

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inadequate

On 23 June 2026, a monitoring visit was carried out. This found that the notice restricting accommodation had been complied with; however, the compliance notices had Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 2 not been met. As a result, further compliance notices were issued under Regulations 12, 13 and 35. The notice restricting accommodation remained in effect.

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inadequate

On 27 July 2026, a further monitoring visit was carried out. This visit found that the compliance notices had been met, and the notice restricting accommodation was lifted. Requirements were raised under Regulations 12, 13 and 35. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2026 Full Inadequate 21/10/2025 Full Good 19/03/2025 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 4

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Summary of findings

Serious and widespread concerns have been identified in relation to the protection of children and the leadership and management of the service. This is the second inspection this year to result in the home being judged ‘inadequate’. Although children have been supported to have some positive experiences and make some progress, leaders and managers have not demonstrated sufficient learning from recent inspections. Compliance notices and shortfalls have been repeated in the same areas, namely help and protection, leadership and management, and restraint practice. Leaders and managers have failed to recognise or respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns. There have been serious incidents that have compromised children’s safety and wellbeing. Several staff members, including leaders and managers, have been suspended. There are currently insufficient staff available to provide care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. No children have moved into the home since the last inspection. During the inspection, following concerns raised with the children’s local authorities, both children moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children engage in a range of activities and hobbies. They enjoy day trips with each other and staff and spending time with their friends in the community. Children attend clubs and have opportunities to develop positive peer relationships. One child has been on a holiday to a seaside town.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children to celebrate things that are important to them. A birthday party was held to commemorate the birthday of a child’s relative who had passed away. The responsible individual provided staff with clear written guidance on how to support the child therapeutically during this event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has gradually developed access to the internet and a smartphone. There is a helpful smartphone agreement in place. This is written in language that is accessible to the child and incorporates appropriate safeguards and boundaries in relation to internet use.

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

There have been serious incidents that have compromised children’s safety and wellbeing. One incident involved a child and a staff member and resulted in the child falling backwards and causing damage to a wall. The child was hurt during the incident and said that they had been pushed. There are concerns regarding the transparency of the records relating to this incident. Records have been amended, and the child’s allegation was not recorded. Furthermore, staff and managers have not responded to this concern, and it was neither recorded nor investigated appropriately. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 5 When children go missing from home, action is not consistently taken in line with their plans to ensure that they are safe. Insufficient action has been taken to reduce the risk of one child going missing. Safeguarding measures designed to prevent the child from leaving the home undetected have not been repaired or replaced in a timely way.

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

Leaders and managers have not taken adequate action in relation to fire safety. One fire door was propped open with a stool and another with a piece of wood. This prevents these doors from closing in the event of a fire.

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

The organisation has a policy relating to smoking and the use of e-cigarettes, which states that these are prohibited on company grounds. Both children in the home use e- cigarettes, and records indicate that they have used them within the grounds of the home. There is no evidence that staff have reminded children of the boundaries or spoken to them about the risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes. In addition, there is no record of children being supported to access medical services in relation to smoking cessation.

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

Children are engaging in education. However, information relating to their educational targets and personal education plans is not routinely shared with the staff, as records and plans are kept within the school setting. This does not ensure that staff have the information they need to support children’s education at home.

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

Children’s mental health needs are supported. Their risk assessments in relation to emotional wellbeing are clear and individualised. Children are supported to access specialised mental health support. The home is supported by a clinical psychologist who meets with the children individually.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and responsible individual have been suspended. There are concerns regarding the management oversight they have provided. A number of staff are also suspended due to alleged practice concerns. As a result, there are currently insufficient staff available to safely care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not recognised or responded appropriately to safeguarding concerns. Investigations into concerns about staff practice have not been thorough. Leaders do not always demonstrate professional curiosity when considering what may have happened to children. Staff and managers have failed to recognise situations when children may have been at risk of harm. This is a repeated pattern of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records of restraint are not suitably detailed and do not always provide an accurate reflection of incidents that have occurred. As a result, it is not clear whether the least restrictive methods have always been used. Leaders and managers do not provide effective oversight of what has happened or demonstrate reflection in their reviews. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 6 Overall, feedback from families and professionals is poor. One professional reported that they did not feel the child was making progress. Another professional raised concerns about how safeguarding incidents had been managed. Professionals also expressed concerns regarding children’s care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have communicated with professionals when risks to children have increased. They have sought advice and guidance and have worked to ensure that multi-agency planning is in place to reduce risks to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 7

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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

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

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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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 1 October 2026

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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

promotes their welfare. 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 8 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

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)(h))

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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

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Requirement Due date

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 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 9 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))

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 1 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1271979 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8a New Road, Mepal, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2AP

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Inspectors

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Maisy Griggs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 11 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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