A four bed home in Leiston where a close, consistent team supports children with social, emotional and behavioural needs. Small enough that every child is properly known.
Fern Lodge supports a small group of children with social and emotional difficulties, including older children preparing for adult life. Children tend to stay at Fern Lodge: at our most recent full inspection, three of the four children living here had been at the home for more than three years. Stability is not something we promise, it is something this home has a record of.
Every admission is planned. We do not take emergency placements. In a home this size the mix of children matters enormously, and we protect it carefully.
Bed capacity
4
Years old
9 to 18
Ofsted rating
Good
Location
Leiston
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Even while he was still settling, the team had started considering his transition towards adulthood and what he would need longer term.
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The home was welcoming and, as he settled, I became reassured that he was safe and that staff were responding well to changes in his mood.
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The transition into the home was handled exceptionally well. The staff were patient, took time to understand him and concentrated on building relationships rather than expecting him to fit in immediately.
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Staff have strong relationships with children and demonstrate genuine warmth, respect and care.
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Children are offered a sense of permanency and stability at the home.
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The children said that they feel safe and that they can trust staff.
Photography for this home is on the way.
We are adding images of the home as they are taken. In the meantime, ask us for a visit.
With four bedrooms and a close, consistent team, Fern Lodge stays calm and personal. Children get time, attention and adults who know them well.
Two comfortable living rooms, a dedicated games room, and a communal kitchen where children cook and eat together.
A private outdoor space for unwinding and connecting with nature: seating areas, ball games, and a vegetable patch children help plant in the summer.
A quiet Suffolk seaside town, minutes from the community centre, parks and open spaces, with the coast close by for walks and days out.
Each of our homes is led by its own Ofsted-registered manager, supported by deputies and overseen by Operations Managers who work across the group. Leadership in our homes is not remote: managers know every child by name, and the group's founders remain involved in every home, every week.
Time
Four children, a close team, and long relationships that let staff really know each child.
Simple goals, real progress
Individual plans reviewed with each child, expectations clear.
Ready for adult life
Cooking, money, independence, and hard advocacy when children move on.
Make a referral to:
referrals@ablehealthcare.co.ukWe respond within one working day.
We tell you quickly if we are not the right match.
The child referred, and the children already here.
Visits first, then a transition built around the child.
Send a referral, a question or a placement enquiry to our referrals team and we will respond within one working day.
Fern Lodge is rated Good by Ofsted in all three judgement areas at its most recent full inspection. An independent visitor also inspects the home every month under Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015.
All our homes are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted
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