Children's Home run by Florinee Homes in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 1 Registered provider: Florinee Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2026 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with both of the children.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 2

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from warm, nurturing and personalised care from staff who know them well. They have developed positive relationships, made meaningful progress in their emotional wellbeing and independence, and receive support to maintain important family and social connections. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with risks understood and managed appropriately. Leaders have created a child-centred culture and work well with professionals and families. Staff receive appropriate support and training. Areas for development include strengthening recruitment records, improving educational engagement and preparation for adulthood for one child, developing greater consistency across the staff team and ensuring that management qualification requirements are consistently tracked and progressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing trusting relationships with adults who understand that trust takes time and consistency. Staff use humour, shared activities, everyday conversations and reliable availability to build relationships. This has had a clear positive impact. Professionals who knew a child before their move reported significant improvements in their presentation, emotional security and willingness to seek support. A health professional said that staff had taken time to understand the child as a person rather than focusing solely on risk. The child has described staff as kind, compassionate and willing to listen. Staff recognise that distress may not always be openly expressed and use their knowledge of the child to provide appropriate time, space and reassurance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences that promote their wellbeing, development and sense of normality. They are supported to maintain important family and friendship relationships, develop interests, make choices about their daily lives and participate in community activities. One child has developed practical skills through cooking, budgeting, caring for a pet and managing aspects of their daily routine. Staff use the child’s interests in animals and creative activities to help the child build confidence and consider future opportunities. Another child has recently started college following significant previous difficulties with education. Staff prepared carefully for the move and provided reassurance while allowing the child to experience the new environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that progress is not always linear and respond to setbacks without undermining children’s relationships or sense of achievement. Following a recent episode of self-harm, staff responded calmly and supportively, considered the wider circumstances and maintained the child’s connection with trusted adults. Leaders recognise that changes in the home and family time can affect emotional wellbeing and have considered how to broaden the child’s relationships across the staff team without withdrawing established sources of support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 3 Preparation for adulthood is increasingly reflected in daily care and planning. Children are supported to develop independence, consider finances and accommodation, and explore education and employment. There is evidence of progress in practical skills, decision-making and confidence. However, one child has been out of education for a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

prolonged period and has declined a number of opportunities. The home and placing authority continue to explore alternatives, but greater persistence and measurable planning are required to ensure that meaningful education, training or employment opportunities remain available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally maintained to a high standard. Personalised bedrooms, artwork and photos reflect children’s interests, relationships and experiences and contribute to their sense of ownership and belonging. However, leaders have not consistently ensured that the purpose and future use of the annex and additional kitchen arrangements are clearly defined and documented. The garden includes an area that is currently inaccessible while works are carried out.

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

Children are helped and protected by adults who have a detailed understanding of their histories, vulnerabilities and individual patterns of risk. Risk assessments consider children’s views, previous incidents and current presentation. Staff are encouraged to consider what behaviour may be communicating and to respond through the home’s trauma-informed and relational approach. This supports safeguarding to be integrated into everyday care and helps adults respond to children’s emotional needs alongside identified risks.

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

The response to a recent self-harm incident demonstrates effective safeguarding practice. Staff recognised a change in presentation, carried out a welfare check and followed agreed safety arrangements when the child did not respond. The response was proportionate and non-punitive and helped maintain the child’s engagement with trusted adults. Leaders also identified learning about the need for clearer medical escalation following incidents of self-harm and strengthened expectations in response.

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

The home balances children’s safety with their need for autonomy and ordinary experiences. Environmental risks have been reviewed following previous incidents involving windows, including changes to CCTV coverage, regular checks of window restrictors and direct work with the child about the risks associated with climbing and leaving the home. A separate risk assessment was carried out before a swing was introduced into a bedroom, considering its therapeutic benefit alongside potential risks. Staffing and observation arrangements have also been reviewed and reduced as risks have improved.

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

Staff understand that family relationships can be both important and emotionally challenging for children. Staff seek to understand the impact of family time on the child and consider what additional support may be required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 4 Staff use curiosity, empathy and reassurance when children experience difficulties. For example, when a child considered leaving college shortly after starting, adults explored the reason rather than viewing this simply as refusal. They identified anxiety about others noticing scars and worked with the child to consider practical solutions.

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

While staff training and team discussions reinforce safeguarding practice. Continued management oversight is required to ensure that practice remains current, proportionate and consistently understood as children’s circumstances and independence develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have established a child-centred culture in which stability, relationships and emotional safety are central to practice. Managers demonstrate detailed knowledge of children’s histories, relationships, vulnerabilities, interests and aspirations. This knowledge informs individualised care planning, risk management and the home’s therapeutic approach. Leaders understand that children who have experienced instability require predictable, emotionally available and consistent adults, and this is reflected in the way that care is organised and delivered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is evidence that leadership decisions are contributing to improved experiences and progress for children. One child’s placing authority described communication as open, responsive and transparent, with concerns shared promptly and detailed weekly reports supporting effective partnership working. Professionals who knew one child before their move reported significant improvements in their ability to build trusting relationships and seek support when needed. The subsequent reduction in enhanced staffing arrangements, as risks decreased, further demonstrates that leaders regularly review care arrangements and adapt support in response to the child’s progress rather than maintaining increased staffing levels unnecessarily. This provides clear evidence that management decisions are child centred, proportionate, and responsive to changing needs and levels of risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders promote a learning culture in which staff are supported to develop their practice. Staff describe managers as approachable and supportive. Induction includes shadowing, mentoring, competency checks and training, while team meetings use scenarios, quizzes and discussions about incidents to develop understanding and consistency. Clinical and therapeutic input helps staff consider the relational and emotional meaning of behaviour. The manager has relevant experience and continues to progress towards a level 5 qualification in children’s residential care following disruption to their previous course.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders respond constructively when practice does not achieve the intended outcome. Learning from medication errors, overnight supervision concerns, self-harm and missing- from-home episodes has resulted in changes to monitoring, recording, risk assessments and staff practice. Leaders have also introduced child-focused resources, including ‘Our Time to Chat’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 5 Leadership oversight is not yet consistently robust in all areas. Preparation for adulthood requires further development, with aspirations not yet consistently supported by specific, measurable plans and outcomes relating to education, employment, accommodation, adult mental health services, and practical independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment records do not consistently demonstrate that all required checks have been carried out. For one staff member, satisfactory proof of address was not available. For another, the documents retained did not provide appropriate evidence of address. Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 30 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, they work closely with staff and the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to maintain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education placement is identified, the registered person should challenge the placing authority to ensure Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 7 that the child’s needs are met in accordance with Regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the annex and garden areas are maintained

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Recommendations

to provide children with safe, suitable and accessible spaces that meet their needs and support their care, development and independence. Leaders should ensure that the intended purpose and use of the annex are clearly defined, including whether it is to support children’s developing independence. Any outstanding works to the garden should be carried out promptly, including addressing areas that are currently inaccessible or unsuitable. Where access to areas is restricted, leaders should ensure that the reasons are clearly recorded, proportionate to the identified risk and kept under review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 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: 2840430 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 13, Swan Court, Forder Way, Cygnet Park, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX

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Inspector

Theresa Kambani, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2840430 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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