Children's Home run by Kelwel Care Homes Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 1 Registered provider: Kelwel Care Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The privately owned children's home is registered with Ofsted to provide care for up to 3 children with complex needs who require specialist support.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home and were spoken with. Four children have moved out of the home and 4 children have moved in since the last inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/04/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 3

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Summary of findings

Children have been adversely affected by significant leadership and management failings in the home. Poor decision-making resulted in one child experiencing significant harm, and leaders have not established consistent boundaries, routines and expectations to support children's progress and development. Management oversight is ineffective, with insufficient monitoring of practice, limited evidence of learning from incidents and a failure to challenge poor practice. Children's complaints have not been appropriately investigated and safeguarding responsibilities have not been fully met, including failures to make required referrals to the local authority designated officer and notifications to Ofsted.

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Summary of findings

While children say that they enjoy living in the home, some have expressed concerns about management and do not feel that their views and worries are consistently listened to or acted upon. As a result, Ofsted served compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not consistently provide children with appropriate structure, routines or boundaries, resulting in children experiencing inconsistent care and support. Unsafe behaviours are not consistently challenged, including children using electronic cigarettes in the home, limiting opportunities for children to understand and reduce risks to their health and wellbeing. Staff also fail to consistently address concerning dynamics between children, including language that may negatively affect emotional wellbeing. As a result, children are not always protected from harmful influences, are given limited guidance about acceptable behaviour, and may be exposed to environments where unsafe or harmful behaviours become normalised. This impacts on children's emotional wellbeing, sense of safety and ability to develop positive relationships and behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When children raise worries for peer relationships in their home, leaders do not take effective action to ensure that children's relationships are repaired. Leaders do not follow their statement of purpose when concerns arise for bullying. This impacts children's trust with staff in the home and does not promote positive relationships between children. On one occasion, when a child raised concerns, no meaningful work with the children took place. One child said that staff 'do nothing' when children say negative things to each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Direct work with children is varied. Children are spoken to about important aspects of their lives; however, the recording of this work is inconsistent. Some records are detailed, child focused and written directly to children, clearly reflecting their experiences. In contrast, other records are brief and do not sufficiently explore children's vulnerabilities, needs or current risks. Staff do not consistently record attempted Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 4 discussions with children or follow up on planned direct work that has not been completed. This limits leaders' oversight of children's engagement and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children say they enjoy living in the home and have positive relationships with staff. They are able to identify individuals who they can speak to if they wish to make a complaint. However, children commented that leaders complete 'too much paperwork', which they feel can reduce opportunities for activities. Children's understanding of the leadership team's roles and responsibilities is limited, which causes confusion and means that they do not always know who is responsible for key aspects of their care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Professionals recognise that children are making some progress. However, this progress is not consistently reflected in children's records. While leaders maintain communication with relevant agencies, information relating to children's education and significant incidents has not always been shared in a timely and consistent manner. There is insufficient escalation or challenge to placing authorities when care arrangements are ineffective.

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

Staff do not ensure that children involved in concerning relationships have clear and comprehensive risk assessments in place to identify and manage known risks. Staff also do not complete effective direct work to help children explore their feelings, understand their experiences or recognise the potential risks associated with these relationships. As a result, children are not supported to reflect on why these situations may be concerning or to understand how and when to seek help.

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

When children share information that indicates significant concerns, staff do not consistently respond in a robust and child-focused way. Staff records do not always clearly demonstrate the actions taken to support children following these disclosures. Consequently, children are not consistently helped to process their experiences, understand risks or feel confident in expressing their worries and feelings. This limits children's ability to keep themselves safe, develop resilience and access appropriate support when needed.

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

Staff do not consistently educate children about the risks associated with substance and alcohol misuse. Opportunities to help children understand the impact that these substances may have on their health, wellbeing and safety are missed. Professional curiosity is limited, which reduces staff's understanding of children's experiences and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments relating to substance misuse are poor and do not sufficiently reflect known concerns or emerging risks.

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

Staff responses to self-injurious behaviours are inconsistent. In most instances, children receive appropriate medical attention and staff undertake room searches to identify and reduce risks. However, meaningful follow-up work with children is not consistently completed to help them understand, express and manage their feelings. On one occasion, a child disclosed that they had self-injured but did not wish to provide further Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 5 information. Staff did not revisit this disclosure with the child or complete a room search. Consequently, opportunities to understand the child's needs, reduce future risks and provide effective emotional support were missed.

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

Children are not always supported to live together. When children raise worries about peers in the home, staff do not take effective action.

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

Leaders and staff do not have a clear understanding of the level of exploitation risk for children. Risk assessments do not sufficiently identify, analyse or record known concerns, vulnerabilities and indicators of exploitation. Despite clear risks and occasions where children have come to harm, leaders have not consistently escalated concerns to the local authority. This has contributed to delays in taking action to protect children. Consequently, children have not always received the timely support and intervention they need to reduce risks. For one child, this has resulted in repeated harm during missing- from-home episodes.

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

When children go missing, staff notify the police and relevant professionals, and leaders maintain chronologies of missing-from-home incidents. However, on 3 occasions within a short period, staff did not follow the agreed plans for one child when they were missing. While internal investigations into staff practice are underway, leaders have not made referrals to the local authority designated officer (LADO) or submitted notifications to Ofsted. As a result, safeguarding concerns relating to staff practice have not been appropriately shared with external agencies. This prevents the child's placing authority from having all relevant information needed to assess and respond to potential risks and limits external scrutiny of the home's safeguarding practice. Consequently, opportunities for regulatory oversight, independent evaluation and timely challenge have been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home are ineffective. Systems for monitoring and review have not identified significant shortfalls in practice or driven the necessary improvements to safeguard children. Leaders have made unsafe decisions that have placed children at risk of harm. On one occasion, leaders agreed for a child to be taken by staff to see an individual who posed a significant risk to them. The safety plan implemented to manage this risk was inadequate, and staff failed to follow the measures that were in place. As a result, the child suffered significant harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that complaints made by children are thoroughly investigated. On 2 occasions, children made complaints about the manager; however, investigations were insufficient and neither referrals to the LADO nor notifications to Ofsted were completed. In one instance, the child was not spoken to for 3 weeks following their complaint and no further work was undertaken to explore their concerns or experiences. Senior leaders did not appropriately assess the seriousness of the complaint or take sufficient action to ensure that the child's voice was heard and understood. As a result, safeguarding concerns were not subject to appropriate scrutiny, and opportunities to reassure children that their views are valued and acted upon were missed. This weakens accountability and does not promote a culture where children feel listened to and protected. Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not provide effective managerial oversight of practice. When incidents occur, leaders routinely approve records; however, their review and evaluation lack meaningful reflection, analysis and challenge. As a result, learning opportunities are not identified and staff are not supported to develop their knowledge, skills and practice. This weak oversight contributes to repeated shortfalls in care and limits staff's ability to respond effectively to children's needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the management team, including the appointment of an interim manager. Additional support arrangements have been established to aid their development, and action plans have been implemented to improve the quality of care provided to children. While these initiatives demonstrate a commitment to improvement, they are not yet fully embedded and progress has been slow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager has high aspirations for children and has proactively requested increased staffing levels when risks have escalated. Some strategies have been introduced to help keep children safe. However, these have not always appropriately balanced safeguarding needs with children's rights. For example, one strategy involved a staff member sitting outside a child's bedroom due to there being multiple exits in the home, which does not promote the child's right to privacy. In addition, video doorbells installed on external doors following professional advice were not routinely maintained and were not operational during the inspection. Safeguards introduced to reduce risk have not always been effective or proportionate, limiting their ability to protect children and promote their welfare. Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 7

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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; and

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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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must take prompt and effective action to address concerns relating to bullying and exploitation, ensuring that risks are clearly assessed, professional curiosity is maintained and safeguarding concerns are escalated appropriately to safeguard children. 2 November 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 8 *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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must implement effective monitoring and oversight systems to identify concerns, drive improvement and embed a culture of professional curiosity, reflection and learning across the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure that children's complaints are thoroughly investigated and that appropriate safeguarding action is taken where concerns are identified, including timely referrals to the local authority designated officer where necessary.

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Requirement Due date

The responsible individual must provide effective oversight, support and challenge to leaders in the home to ensure that safeguarding concerns are appropriately addressed and children receive safe, high-quality care. 2 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

The health and wellbeing standard is that— 13 November 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 9 the health and wellbeing needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and wellbeing; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand the child's health and wellbeing needs and the options that are available in relation to the child's health and wellbeing, in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child's wellbeing (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are supported to understand the risks of electronic cigarettes.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children have clear boundaries to protect their health and wellbeing.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children are educated and supported on the risks of substances and alcohol use.

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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 2 November 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 10 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

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 11

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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: 2794620 12

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Kelwel Care Homes Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Jubilee House 3 The Drive, Warley, Brentwood, England CM13 3FR

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Inspectors

Louisa West, Social Care Inspector Patrick Rowell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2794620 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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