Children's Home run by First Blue Inspired Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children's home: 2808471 1 Registered provider: First Blue Inspired Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care for up to 8 children with learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home, all 3 children were seen and spoken to or observed as part of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 2 December 2025

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2808471 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/12/2025 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2808471 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children overall receive care from staff who know them well and develop warm and positive relationships with them. Children appear relaxed and comfortable and seek staff out for reassurance and companionship. Their individual communication needs, interests and important family relationships are understood and supported. Staff promote children's learning and provide opportunities that reflect their individual needs. Children say that they feel safe and know how to raise concerns. During a challenging period involving one child with increasingly complex needs, some weaknesses were identified in staff responses to incidents, recording and management oversight. Leaders recognised that staff were not sufficiently skilled to consistently meet this child's needs and have responded by seeking additional training and recruiting staff with further skills and experience. The manager is committed to improving the quality of care for all children

p.3

Summary of findings

who live here. Staff feel supported and valued, and leaders are receptive to challenge and are taking action to address identified shortfalls.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children live in warm, welcoming and well-maintained environments that are decorated to a high standard. They have access to comfortable communal spaces, as well as bedrooms that are personalised to reflect their individual interests and preferences. Spacious surroundings and extensive outdoor areas provide opportunities for children to take part in activities and enjoy their environment. The home is split into separate living spaces that are all connected, which enables children to receive care that is responsive to their individual needs while remaining connected to others. Appropriate facilities and equipment support children's safety and well-being.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children appear relaxed and comfortable with staff. They are supported to make choices about how they spend their time and whether they wish to engage with visitors, and their wishes and privacy are respected. One child spoke positively about their experience of living here and said that they had no concerns about their care. Staff understand how individual children communicate, including children who communicate without language, and use appropriate communication tools to help them express themselves. Warm and affectionate interactions demonstrate the positive relationships that children have developed with staff.

p.3

improvement to be good

The quality of written records is inconsistent. Some records contain language that could be perceived as blaming children and do not always provide a sufficiently child-centred account of their experiences. Leaders recognise that recording practice needs to improve and are taking action to address this. This will help to ensure that children's records more consistently provide them with a meaningful and respectful account of their care experiences. Inspection report children's home: 2808471 4 One child experienced an unplanned move following a relatively short period of escalating concerns about their safety and well-being. Leaders recognised that staff did not have the necessary skills and experience to consistently meet this child's increasingly complex needs. Alternative arrangements were made and the child subsequently moved to a more suitable placement. Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding the move,

p.3

improvement to be good

staff made efforts to ensure that the child's final day was positive and meaningful. The child received a memory book containing photographs and positive messages from staff, reflecting the relationships developed during their time there. This helped to provide the child with some sense of closure during an otherwise unplanned transition.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children do not currently have suitable education provision. Staff continue to promote children's learning through informal educational opportunities that reflect their interests and abilities. For example, one child visited local shops to research and calculate the cost of purchasing a barbecue and food for an event. This provided a practical opportunity to develop numeracy, budgeting and planning skills while appropriate education provision was being sought. Leaders have taken appropriate action to escalate concerns about access to education provision for all children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them and to maintain meaningful relationships. Staff recognise the value of these connections and work to develop constructive relationships with children's families and other significant people. This helps staff to understand children's relationships and supports children to maintain positive connections that contribute to their identity, sense of belonging and emotional well-being.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children say they feel safe living here. They know how to raise concerns and make complaints when they are unhappy about their care or experiences. Their concerns are taken seriously and responded to in a timely manner. Children are informed about the outcome of their complaints and action is taken, where necessary, to address the issues they raise. This helps children to understand that their views are valued and that they can speak openly when they are worried or unhappy.

p.4

improvement to be good

Relationships between children have not always been positive. During a relatively short period, one child experienced physical aggression from another child on two occasions and reported that they did not feel safe while the other child remained living alongside them. Leaders responded by making alternative arrangements for the child until a more suitable placement was identified for the other child. Following the other child's move, the child said that they were happy with the outcome. This demonstrates that, when relationships between children deteriorated and presented a risk, leaders took action to reduce further conflict and restore the child's sense of safety.

p.4

improvement to be good

There is a protocol intended to support staff in responding to allegations relating to one child. However, records do not consistently demonstrate the rationale for decisions about when the protocol is used or how staff determine the appropriate response to individual Inspection report children's home: 2808471 5 incidents. Leaders recognise that recording and oversight in this area need to be strengthened and are taking steps to improve practice. This will provide greater assurance that decisions consistently reflect the child's individual circumstances and agreed safeguarding arrangements.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff responses to incidents are variable. There are examples of staff making appropriate attempts to reduce tension and help children to regulate their emotions. However, during the period when one child's needs and behaviours escalated, staff did not always respond effectively and, on some occasions, their responses contributed to further escalation. There were occasions when restraint was referred to as a potential consequence if behaviour continued. This was not appropriate and did not reflect the intended approach to supporting children to regulate their emotions.

p.5

improvement to be good

Records relating to physical interventions do not always contain sufficient detail or clearly correspond with associated incident records. This makes it more difficult for leaders to evaluate the circumstances surrounding some interventions and demonstrate that they were necessary and proportionate. Leaders had identified weaknesses in staff practice and recording and recognise the need for improvement. Following the difficulties experienced in supporting one child, leaders have sought additional training and recruited staff with further skills and experience. This demonstrates that leaders are responding to identified weaknesses and taking steps to strengthen staff practice.

p.5

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

Overall, professionals are positive about the care children receive. They describe staff as child-focused and highlight the positive relationships that staff have developed with children. One social worker said that they were satisfied that their child was safe at the home and that allegation management was appropriate for their child. This provides assurances that safeguarding concerns are responded to and that children are cared for by adults who know them well and are attentive to their individual needs.

p.5

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

Leaders have established a positive culture in which staff are committed to providing good-quality care. However, management monitoring and oversight are not yet consistently effective. Information relating to children's incidents and other significant events is sometimes recorded in different places and is not always clearly linked. This can make it difficult for leaders to establish a coherent account of events and subsequent actions and to readily identify emerging patterns or recurring concerns.

p.5

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

Management reviews of incidents vary in quality and do not consistently provide sufficient evaluation of staff practice, patterns, the impact on children or what could have been done differently. Quality-of-care reviews would similarly benefit from stronger feedback and evaluation. This limits leaders' ability to consistently identify themes across the service and fully evaluate the quality and impact of the care children receive.

p.5

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

Leaders recognise these weaknesses and are taking action to strengthen the quality of recording, oversight and evaluation. The manager has undertaken a lessons-learned exercise with staff following incidents, enabling staff to reflect on what had gone wrong, Inspection report children's home: 2808471 6 consider children's experiences and feelings and identify where practice could improve. While it is too soon to determine whether this learning has resulted in sustained improvements, this demonstrates a willingness to reflect on practice and respond to identified shortfalls.

p.5

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

Staff were not sufficiently skilled or equipped to consistently manage the behaviours presented by one child during a challenging period of their placement. Leaders recognise this and have responded by seeking additional training and recruiting staff with further skills and experience. This is intended to strengthen the staff team's ability to respond effectively to children with more complex needs and reduce the likelihood of similar difficulties occurring.

p.6

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

Staff speak warmly about children and describe strong and supportive relationships with them. They report feeling well supported by the manager, whom they describe as approachable and available to provide guidance when required. Staff enjoy their roles and feel valued. This contributes to a positive team culture in which staff are motivated and committed to providing good-quality care to children.

p.6

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

The manager is passionate and dedicated to children and staff and demonstrates a clear commitment to improving the quality of care. She recognises areas of practice that require strengthening, particularly in relation to recording, staff practice and management oversight, and is receptive to challenge and feedback. The manager is working alongside the responsible individual to address identified shortfalls, with additional support and oversight in place. This demonstrates that leaders understand the strengths and areas for development and are taking appropriate action to improve. Inspection report children's home: 2808471 7

p.6

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that relationships between children are effectively managed to reduce the risk of harm, and that safeguarding arrangements, including protocols for responding to allegations, are regularly reviewed and consistently implemented. 26 November 2026

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 26 November 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2808471 8 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to respond safely and effectively to children's behaviours, and that monitoring and review systems provide effective oversight of incidents, identify patterns and areas of concern, and support learning and improvement in the quality of care provided to children.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. 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)

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person must have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in regulation 45 at least once every six months. The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children (“Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards”, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

p.8

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: 2808471 9

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider: First Blue Inspired Limited

p.9

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

p.9

Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2808471 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10