Children's Home run by Throughomes Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 1 Registered provider: Throughomes Ltd 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 can care for up to 3 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and both children contributed to this inspection. No other children have lived in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 2

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Summary of findings

The home is led by a registered manager. The staff team currently lacks experience, and there have been challenges with recruiting more experienced staff. This has, at times, impacted the care offered to children. Children say they are happy living in this home and feel safe. Professionals and family have provided positive feedback about the care and support that children have experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and inviting. Children feel comfortable here, and they enjoy relaxing with staff in the lounge or playroom. Children are encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests, and this is evident. For example, one child made a game from pottery that was on display. The child felt proud of this. Although there is a homely feel throughout, some of the language used by staff and mirrored by children detracts from this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel safe and have built positive relationships with those who care for them. Children often tell adults when they need help and can reflect openly with staff about their worries. This shows that children trust the adults who are caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's views are valued. This is reflected in their care planning. Children also feel confident to attend their meetings and can share their wishes and feelings freely. This helps children to feel heard and valued and contributes to meaningful care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive daily routines. This complements their education plans. The manager works with relevant agencies to ensure that children have plans in place that suit their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On one occasion, a child was taken to hospital for an urgent medical matter, accompanied by another child. This was not appropriate and did not sufficiently safeguard the child's privacy and dignity. Records do not clearly detail the treatment provided, limiting oversight of the incident. The incident was also not notified to Ofsted, indicating gaps in the understanding of Regulation 40.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records indicate that on one occasion, a child's daily medication was not given. The care plan did not identify the prescribed medication. The manager spoke with staff to confirm the child received the medication and updated the care plan accordingly. Medication records and care plans are not consistently up to date, which, in turn, affects the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 3

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home and respond positively to boundaries and routines in place to promote their safety. This includes agreed strategies, which are well understood by children. This supports staff to manage identified risks.

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

Children are supported to access specialist services, which helps them to reduce their risks. Staff work well with mental health support services, who also contribute to safety planning.

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

Children feel confident to share their views. One child made a complaint against a member of staff. The manager took this seriously and responded in a timely manner, and the child was kept updated throughout. The child attended a restorative meeting and felt listened to throughout this process.

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

Staff do not consistently provide children with appropriate support, guidance and redirection when this is required. This includes occasions when children spend time with people who are important to them, despite known risks being identified. As a result, staff do not always provide effective supervision or respond promptly to children's needs. This limits the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and does not ensure that children are consistently kept safe.

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

Staff have not consistently adhered to the required supervision levels for children in line with their plans. This has left children vulnerable and means children have not been consistently supported and safeguarded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who is dual registered. He is supported by a deputy manager in this home. Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and provides a good space for learning. This is also complemented by team meetings. Staff are offered workshops related to relevant topics. This supports their ongoing learning, which informs the care they offer to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has demonstrated an understanding of areas requiring further development. The home has experienced challenges in recruiting experienced staff, which has impacted the overall level of staff skill, knowledge and confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some gaps in staff training and development across the team. Some training is currently not up to date, and there have been occasions when staff have worked in the home before completing relevant training. The manager is aware of the gaps and has arranged dates for some training to take place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completed a risk assessment when considering whether the home could safely meet the needs of a child. The assessment did not sufficiently consider the potential risks associated with the needs and behaviours of both children living in the Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 4 home alongside one another. This limits the effectiveness of the assessment in demonstrating all relevant risks have been identified and appropriately considered before the placement decision was made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently limited representation within the staff team of the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the children living in the home. This impacts children's sense of identity, belonging and cultural connection. The manager is aware of this, and this is something that leaders and managers are trying to address. Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 5

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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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff maintain appropriate levels of supervision to children in line with their care planning. Staff should have the skills and knowledge to recognise signs of harm and take appropriate action where necessary. 4 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. 4 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the appropriate skill set to meet the needs of the children. This includes offering training that makes an impact on the level of support and care offered to children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must notify HMCI of serious incidents. 4 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home maintains a homely environment. This includes ensuring staff are not using institutionalised language. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are cared for by a diverse staff team that they can relate to. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 52, paragraph 10.6)

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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: 2861915 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 11 Westgreen Avenue, Allenton, Derby DE24 9AP

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Inspector

Becky Thompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2861915 9 regulates and inspects 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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Inspector

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