Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 1 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned and operated by a local authority. It was registered on 14 October 2025 to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

Staff and children moved into the home on 15 May 2026 from another home owned by the local authority, which was temporarily closed to allow for building works and refurbishment. The same 2 children have lived in the home throughout and no children have moved in or left the home. Both children contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home is led by a manager who became registered on 14 October 2025.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 2

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm, individualised care from staff who know them very well. Managers and leaders carefully considered and planned the children's move to the home. They ensured that the children's needs remained central to the decision-making process and the move did not disrupt the children's progress. As a result, children are doing well in education, have their health needs met to a good standard and are safe.

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Summary of findings

A real strength in the home is the positive relationships that children have maintained with their family members. Children also enjoy a range of positive experiences and are developing the skills they need to prepare for their futures. Staff have a good understanding of the children's risks and provide support that is tailored to their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff planned the children's move to the home carefully, taking full account of children's individual needs and ensuring that they were fully consulted throughout the process. For example, the children visited the home on several occasions before moving in and were actively involved in choosing decorations and furnishings. Their views and wishes helped to shape the environment, promoting a sense of ownership and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have worked hard to overcome challenges with the property. The property is quite old and large and was not in use for some time. However, the manager and staff have involved the children in making the home both comfortable and an environment that reflects the children living there. The children's artwork covers the walls together with creative projects undertaken by the children with the support of staff. The managers, staff and children have been thoughtful in designing the home in a manner that helps the children to feel at home and relaxed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed very strong bonds with the staff who care for them. The children benefit from being cared for by a consistent and stable group of staff that knows them very well. The staff and children have developed strong and trusting bonds. As a result, the children are increasingly settled and incidents of more concerning behaviour are rare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive very good support with education. One child is doing very well in school. He is making progress with attendance and punctuality. The child is focused on his future and has recently completed the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. This was a positive achievement for the child, who also undertook voluntary work. The child takes pride in his achievements, and this is driving him to excel in whatever he does. Another child has struggled with education. The child is attending an alternative education provision. Staff are supporting the child with his emotions, which can be a block to Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 3 engagement with education. The manager and staff are realistic and realise that supporting the child into education will need to take place at a pace that is right for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family relationships are extremely important to the children. The managers and staff understand this and promote and maintain these significant relationships. This is a particular strength of the managers and staff. Staff and managers recognise the vital role that family relationships play in supporting the children's emotional wellbeing, sense of identity and overall development. The children benefit from regular contact with key family members through planned meetings and visits. They travel to see family members each week, and family members also visit the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive the support they need to promote their physical and emotional wellbeing. Children are registered with local healthcare services and receive the appropriate support to meet their physical and emotional health needs. When additional support has been required to enhance their emotional wellbeing, managers have successfully secured services from relevant external specialist agencies, ensuring that children receive timely and appropriate intervention.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager encourage and support children to participate in activities and hobbies. The children have a particular interest in art and other creative pursuits, which managers and staff promote. Children's artwork and creative achievements are displayed throughout, helping to celebrate their talents and individuality. The children also enjoy caring for their animal companions. They take pride in caring for their pets and care for them exceptionally well. This provides them with opportunities to develop nurturing skills, responsibility and a sense of achievement.

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

The children have become increasingly safe. The children do not go missing from home. Staff have no concerns over substance misuse. Children have not been at risk of exploitation and staff have not had to physically intervene to manage behaviour. Consequently, the children are very settled and happy. Staff and children have good relationships and staff know the children well. Staff intervene proactively to manage situations and prevent them deteriorating and, over time, incidents have significantly reduced.

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

The manager has completed a good location risk assessment following moving to the home. The location risk assessment provides staff with information on risks to the children in the local area. There is good liaison with the local police and professional agencies. The manager and staff have ensured that the grounds around the home are secure. A fence has been erected and there has been an increase in general security.

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

The children feel safe. They can turn to staff and the manager and speak openly about any worries or concerns they may have. They have external professionals who visit them regularly and talk to them about their safety. The behaviour of the children is very good. Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 4 The children are polite and respectful of the staff. There has been one incident involving more concerning and behaviour, a dispute between children. This was uncharacteristic and staff dealt with it quickly. The manager provided good oversight and tried to identify triggers to the behaviour. However, this has not reoccurred.

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

Staff understand children's risks and vulnerabilities. Each child has a behaviour support plan and risk management plan. These crucial documents provide staff with guidance about known risks and behaviours for children that may increase risk. The manager and staff regularly update the assessments as children's needs change. Staff use this information to guide their day-to-day care practice. Children receive support that reflects their individual safety needs and keeps them safe.

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

Children are safer because the manager ensures that new staff are only recruited following rigorous checking and vetting. A full range of checks are completed to ensure that those wanting to work with children are safe to do so. The manager and a lead member of staff oversee all health safety to ensure compliance with fire regulations and that the environment is a safe place to live and work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very committed and highly organised. She is proud of the children and staff. The manager is very visible. The children and staff have a good relationship with the manager and can approach her at any time. The manager understands the children's needs, risks and vulnerabilities and ensures that the staff work collaboratively with external agencies to meet the children's needs and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from staff who are knowledgeable and skilled. The staff have received the training and development they need to provide children with good and safe care. Additionally, staff have a particularly good understanding of the children and benefit from the good relationships they have developed over time. This leads to staff being responsive to the children's needs and foreseeing any needs the children may have in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular, individual supervision. During supervision, the staff can speak about the children and any safeguarding matters and raise any personal issues. Staff training, development and progression are fundamental to supervision sessions and ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to care for the children. The staff have the required qualifications for residential childcare and undertake additional training to help them provide the children with effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager also receives regular supervision from the operations manager. These sessions take place monthly and provide an opportunity for reflection, support and professional challenge. Supervision focuses on the effective management of the home and maintaining a safe, high-quality service for children. Together, these arrangements contribute to strong oversight and promote continuous improvement in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 5 The staff meet regularly for team meetings. These meetings are focused on the children and the progress they are making. The staff review their approaches to care practice and any changes they may need to make to address the changing needs of the children. The manager raises any issues from quality assurance visits and how care practice can be enhanced. The meetings pay testament to the positive and strong relationships that the staff have and how they galvanise their working relationships to benefit the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective quality assurance systems in place and uses these to good effect to monitor and improve the service. Independent visitor reports are completed each month, providing external scrutiny of the home's practice and identifying areas for development where improvements are required. In addition, the manager undertakes a range of daily, weekly and monthly monitoring activities. These checks provide oversight of the home's operation and enable the manager to identify and address any shortfalls promptly, ensuring that children continue to receive a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed a comprehensive workforce and service development plan, which is used by the manager and leaders to support the ongoing development of the home. The plan helps to identify staff training and development needs, monitor staff performance and capability, and inform future workforce planning. This provides the manager with a clear understanding of the strengths of the team and any areas requiring additional support or development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No statutory requirements or recommendations have been made at this inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 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: 2866008 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Derbyshire County Council, County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Phillip Morris, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2866008 8 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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