Children's Home run by Protea Care Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 1 Registered provider: Protea Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 22 June 2026. A manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home and contributed to the inspection.

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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: 2804494 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved out. Despite changes in the staffing of the home, children speak positively about staff and the care they receive. Staff are dedicated to building positive relationships with children and show an interest in their likes and hobbies. External professionals working with the children said they are making ‘amazing’ progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from an environment where they are encouraged to be themselves. Staff support children to explore their sense of self and their identity, including the use of preferred names and pronouns for children. Professionals and staff commented on the significant progress in one child’s confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children, and children feel heard. Staff speak warmly about and to children. Children can identify staff they would speak to if they had any worries or concerns. Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them, in line with the child’s wishes and local authority care plans. Children are supported and encouraged to engage in activities, both inside and outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education and encourage attendance. Children are learning and achieving, taking account of their individual starting points. Staff support children to develop independence skills appropriate for their ages. This includes engaging children in cooking, cleaning and supporting with maintenance tasks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child recently moved on from the home in a planned way. Leaders and managers worked closely with the local authority to ensure that an appropriate alternative home was identified for the child, to ensure stability. Staff spoke with the child to support an understanding of their move to the new home. However, limited work was done with the child to preserve memories, which could impact their ability to recall and understand their journey in the home as they get older. This is recognised by leaders and managers and they plan to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their tastes, which promotes a sense of belonging. Staff encourage children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. However, this is not always effective. The home reflects a family-style environment, but some areas are not well maintained or thoroughly cleaned. Leaders and managers have taken some steps to address this. Plans are in place for further improvements, but these are not yet embedded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 4

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

Staff know the children well, including their risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are individualised but require supporting documents giving clear actions on how to respond to children’s needs. Documents to support the care of children are regularly reviewed but are not consistently updated with new information. This could cause confusion for new members of staff. This is accepted by leaders and managers, who have plans to address this.

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

There has been a reduction in the number of incidents over the course of this inspection year. This reduction aligns with increased consistency in staff responses to behaviour management. Leaders and managers have consulted expert professionals to inform the care of children.

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

There has been one missing-from-home incident and staff responded appropriately. They followed the child’s individual missing protocol and supported a coordinated approach with partner agencies to ensure the child returned home safely. The risks to children online are regularly reviewed and considered by staff. When concerns are identified, appropriate action is taken.

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

When staff have physically intervened or restrained children, this has been necessary to ensure the safety of children and staff. Children are spoken to following the incident, however, they are not consistently spoken to about the measure used. These interventions are not recorded in line with regulatory time frames. Management oversight of such incidents does not consistently evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. When the intervention has involved the manager, the responsible individual has had oversight to provide independent scrutiny.

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

When new staff are employed to work at the home, checks are completed in line with regulation. When allegations are made about staff working in the home, leaders and managers implement appropriate safeguards to ensure the safety and welfare of children while investigations are undertaken. Safeguarding procedures are followed, including liaison with the local authority designated officer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several changes in the staff team during this inspection period. This includes the appointment of a new manager and deputy manager and several new staff members. While this does not promote stability for children, staff are beginning to develop positive relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a nurturing and caring approach and is enthusiastic about securing positive outcomes for children. Staff feel supported by the manager, valuing their visibility and willingness to actively support staff during challenging periods. Staff can approach leaders and managers with both professional and personal challenges. Staff and professionals working with children speak highly of the manager and feel confident in their ability to lead the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 5 Managers and staff build effective working relationships with the network around each child. Communication is noted as a strength of managers and staff, ensuring that parents and professionals are kept up to date with the care and progress of children. When complaints are received from neighbours, leaders and managers carry out effective work to repair relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have identified actions to improve the quality of care provided by staff. This includes providing a more supportive environment for staff, clearer boundaries for children and improved record-keeping. Changes that have been implemented thus far are effective, with children making increased progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance and monitoring systems are not robust. Leaders and managers have not evaluated patterns or trends in staff turnover, which could reduce leaders’ ability to address negative trends. At present, the staffing structure in the home appears stable and morale in the team is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are not consistently signed and dated by the author of each entry, and when children’s plans are updated by staff the quality of the updates is not reviewed by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly independent visitor reports are not consistently shared with Ofsted in a timely manner. This impacts the regulator’s ability to monitor and evaluate the care of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that documents to support the care of children are robust and easily accessible for all staff.

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Requirement Due date

Also, that children’s case records are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 44 reports must be shared with Ofsted by the end of the following month following submission.

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Requirement Due date

Patterns and trends in staff turnover must be monitored and reviewed to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. 15 October 2026

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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

the name of the child; 15 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 7 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 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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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. This includes ensuring all areas of the home are clean and well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 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: 2804494 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Protea Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Howard Roth & Co, 317 Horn Lane, London W3 0BU

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Inspector

Siobhan Holmes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2804494 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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