Children's Home run by Aegis 247 Limited in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 1 Registered provider: Aegis 247 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2024 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Good 11/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 3

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Summary of findings

Staff provide the child with good-quality, child-centred care. The child has made progress in building open and trusting relationships with staff, which has helped them to settle and feel secure. This has helped the child to talk to staff about how they are feeling and to better manage difficult emotions that they may be experiencing.

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Summary of findings

Overall, the manager has good oversight of the home. The systems to review and monitor the quality of care and staff development have improved. While the manager has established positive relationships with other professionals involved with the child, she has not always ensured that escalation procedures are followed to ensure that the child’s plan is being met by others. There are shortfalls in the child’s risk assessments that have not been identified by the manager. There are also some shortfalls in the safer recruitment of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s day-to-day experiences are positive. They respond well to the routines, structure and boundaries in place at the home, as well as the nurturing approach used by staff. This has helped the child to become increasingly settled and secure and has supported them to develop trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives a combination of formal and informal learning. The manager and staff understand the barriers to the child’s education and work collaboratively with education professionals. They advocate for the child to ensure that they receive the right support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is provided with a range of activities that reflect their hobbies and interests. Staff are proactive and flexible in their approach to engaging the child in meaningful activities. As a result, the child is able to enjoy experiences that are similar to those of their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good physical health. They are supported to attend health appointments, and a healthy lifestyle is promoted. The child has improved routines and personal care skills because of the help and support they receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult the child regularly and respond to their wishes and feelings. Records of conversations with the child show that the child is involved in their plans and that they are considered in decisions made about their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with the people who are important in their life. They encourage the child to discuss their relationships with their family and friends. Staff listen actively and respond to the child when they experience difficulties in their relationships. They support the child to develop better strategies to manage any difficult emotions they may be feeling. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 4

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

The child’s individual risk assessments identify the known risks to the child. However, they have not always been kept under review by the manager. Also, the written guidance for staff is not always clear, and there is conflicting information across some records. Despite the shortfalls in the child’s records, staff understand the child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities, and they are clear about how the child’s past experiences have an impact on their life today.

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

The child is at risk of going missing. When this happens, staff are proactive in their response. They search for the child and report them as missing to the police. Staff educate the child about the risks of going missing, and the child is provided with the opportunity to talk to an independent person when they return home. However, on one occasion when the child went missing, staff did not follow the child’s missing-from-home plan, which increased risks for the child. The manager followed internal procedures to address the shortfalls in staff practice.

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

Serious incidents are rare. When they occur, staff use their relationships with the child to respond. Staff talk to the child, and they praise and celebrate positive behaviour. This positive approach has meant that staff have not needed to intervene physically. However, consequences used to address unwanted behaviour are not always helpful for the child, and the effectiveness of the measures used is not always kept under review.

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

Allegations are taken seriously. They are investigated, and information is shared with safeguarding professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is skilled and experienced. She is a positive role model for staff and a strong advocate for the child. The manager has a clear vision for the home. She is aspirational for the child and committed to staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which provides them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss the child’s plan. Staff say they are happy working at the home and that they feel supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented changes to the systems in place to review and monitor the quality of care and staff development. Overall, management oversight of the home is good, and when shortfalls arise, they are identified and addressed in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of core training. The manager ensures that staff have access to additional training specific to the child’s individual needs and risks. Staff development is kept under review by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built positive relationships with other professionals involved with the child. However, she has not always followed internal escalation procedures to challenge Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 5 others to ensure that there is a multi-agency response to the child and to ensure that the child’s plan is kept under review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment procedures are in place and being followed. However, some staff records do not clearly outline the steps taken during the recruitment process. This relates specifically to the verification of references and an unexplained gap in a staff member’s employment history. Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c)) 1 November 2026

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 1 November 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control and discipline are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 7

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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: 2630701 8

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Elizabeth van der Veer-Hunt

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2630701 9 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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