Children's Home run by Berry Gifford Limited in Nottinghamshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 1 Registered provider: Berry Gifford 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 provider. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. An interim manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was not present during the inspection.

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Inspection date: 8 September 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 8 September 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 2

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Summary of findings

The children are making good progress. Children spend time with those important to them, such as family members and friends, and this helps them to maintain important relationships. Risk assessments are not yet sufficiently detailed and provide information on children’s known risks only. This limits them because they fail to identify wider risks and vulnerabilities for children. Additionally, i mprovements are required in relation to staff discussions with children to ensure these are meaningful. The manager’s monitoring systems also require improvement to ensure they identify areas of weakness. The statutory requirements made at the last inspection have been reinstated.

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The home’s manager was not present at the time of inspection. A senior manager is overseeing the home while the manager is away. Some areas of staff care practice have improved. This has had a positive effect on the children. However, further areas for improvement have been identified during this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children live in a homely environment. The manager has ensured that areas of the home that had been identified as requiring improvements at the last inspection have now been completed. Children’s bedrooms are suitably furnished, and children are supported to personalise their bedroom to reflect their own interests .

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Findings from the inspection

The children said that they had no concerns about living in the home. The relationships between staff and children are generally good. However, not all children have had positive experiences. In some areas, further work is required to ensure that children make good and sustained progress.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s individual risk assessments fail to provide staff with clarity on what actions they should take to reduce risks to children and keep them safe. Risk assessments are not kept up to date and do not include accurate information about the children’s risks, needs and vulnerabilities. This prevents the staff from managing children’s behaviour effectively as they do not have accurate information.

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Findings from the inspection

Management oversight continues to be limited and inconsistent. Key-work sessions and risk assessments are not consistently reviewed, and there are a number of documents that lack management oversight. Where oversight is recorded, there is no evidence to suggest that there was any learning or reflection to improve staff care practice . Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 3 The children currently living in the home are reluctant to attend house meetings. Staff are not regularly seeking alternative ways to engage them in sharing their views, wishes and feelings about the home .

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Findings from the inspection

One child has shared a concern relating to staff practice. The management team has worked with the local authority designated officer (LADO). There is evidence that the manager followed the direction of the LADO. While managers responded to the complaint appropriately, they did not keep the child updated and advise them of the conclusion of the complaint.

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Findings from the inspection

Children keep in touch with their families and significant people in their lives. Staff support children to keep in touch with their families and significant people in their lives. Staff understand the importance of the children’s relationships with their families. As a result, this has helped strengthen children’s relationships with those who are important to them.

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Findings from the inspection

Overall, children have made progress from the last inspection. Feedback from one parent was positive. They said that communication has improved and that reports about their child are ‘detailed and uplifting’.

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Findings from the inspection

No serious or widespread concerns were identified during this inspection. However, none of the requirements and recommendations from the last full inspection were met and so have been restated . Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/07/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/11/2025 Full Good 28/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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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)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take effective action when children are at risk and put measures in place to reduce risks to children. This includes having safety plans in place for identified risks to children that tell staff how to respond.

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Requirement Due date

Also, specifically, that when children go missing from home, return home interviews are requested and recorded to help staff to understand the reasons that children go missing. 4 December 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 6 Partially met. This requirement was made at the last two inspections and is restated.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that she has adequate oversight of staff practice and the care of children. This includes appropriate scrutiny of physical interventions, consequences and missing incidents and reporting to Ofsted all notifiable events. It also includes reviewing the quality of care and providing Ofsted with a copy of the report within the required timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff receive training appropriate to the needs of the children and maintain regular oversight of completed and outstanding training.

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Requirement Due date

Partially met. This requirement was made at the last two inspections and is restated. 4 December 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 7 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff consistently promote children’s educational achievement through meaningful engagement in learning activities and by supporting children to access, participate in and benefit from suitable educational provision.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 December 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1, paragraphs 19 and 20. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4,13). Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Berry Gifford Ltd, Unit 2, Mercury Park, Amber Close, Tamworth B77 4RP

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Inspector

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 9 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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