Children's Home run by United Homes Group Ltd in Hillingdon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 1 Registered provider: United Homes Group Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in February 2025. The new manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. Two children had moved on since the last inspection. The inspector spoke with the child.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 25 February 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is happy living at the home and has good relationships with staff. The child is especially close to their key worker and the manager. The child said that they love living at the home because it is ‘the best home I have ever lived in’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child in making positive choices that benefit their health and well- being. They discuss the dangers of smoking and the use of illegal drugs, explaining the risks associated with the child’s young age. Additionally, the manager has arranged specialist support for the child to help them improve their health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff help the child to stay settled into the home by organising activities that align with the child’s interests. The child enjoys spending time with friends, playing basketball in the garden, taking part in baking, going horse riding and going on outings with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making some progressive steps in engaging in education and accepting support from staff. However, this has slowed as the child is no longer motivated to do anything following being told by their social worker that they will be moving on soon.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a welcoming atmosphere for the child. Some areas of the home have recently been redecorated.

p.3

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

Staff provide a supportive environment, which helps the child to feel safe. Staff are trained in safeguarding measures, and they use this to provide effective support to the child.

p.3

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

Children’s vulnerabilities and risks are assessed before they move into the home. However, these assessments do not always consider the needs of the children already living in the home, nor do they address the staff skills and training requirements.

p.3

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

Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities, and they have good guidance on how to support the child. This includes updated and more detailed risk assessments and support strategies. Staff address any concerns to mitigate potential risks, and they communicate well with the child’s social worker and other relevant professionals. Staff contribute to a strong multi-agency approach to child protection.

p.3

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

Staff help the child to understand risks, including when they are away from home. Incidents of the child going missing from home have increased recently following the child being told that they will be moving on soon. Staff show great care and concern for the child when they are missing. They use regular phone calls to the child to encourage them to come back home and to remind them on how to stay safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 4 The number of incidents has decreased following the departure of two children. To ensure effective oversight, the manager has updated incident records, allowing for better monitoring and analysis.

p.3

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

The manager ensures that children are cared for by staff who are suitable and have the appropriate experience to fulfil their role. There are safer recruitment practices. When needed, managers consult with external safeguarding practitioners, including the local authority designated officer.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has been leading the home since February 2025 and has applied to Ofsted for registration. Leaders provide effective support to the manager, including guidance and training. Although the manager is progressing well, they would benefit from further training and support as they develop into their managerial role.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and the manager have improved the quality of care provided to children, as well as record-keeping, since the last inspection. The manager’s quality monitoring processes have also improved. They now regularly check and update records. However, these improvements have only been in place for a short time and have not yet been fully embedded into staff practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Regulation 45 reviews do not yet have enough focus on the experiences of children, and secure feedback from children, staff and other relevant stakeholders.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The child’s experience of care has improved because staff spend more time talking to them about their wishes and feelings. Staff take pride in the quality of care they provide. However, staff and children’s care records do not always use language that is child- friendly and respectful.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive good training, and the frequency and quality of staff supervision have improved. Staff have been able to identify their development needs and receive additional training when necessary to meet children’s needs. Recent training has helped staff understand how to support children in a way that acknowledges the trauma they may have experienced before moving to the home. The provider has employed a therapist who is available to offer further training and support to staff. However, the workforce plan still needs to be developed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders support staff in progressing in their roles. They always consider promoting existing staff into leadership positions before advertising externally, which helps maintain staff motivation and ambition. Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the manager is engaged in ongoing learning about their role. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 5, paragraph 1.10)  The registered person should ensure that their initial assessment of a child’s needs fully considers the needs of all children living in the home, as well as staff skills and training needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs19 and 20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the Regulation 45 review focuses on the experiences of children, and that it includes feedback from children, staff and other

p.5

Recommendations

relevant stakeholders. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2).  The registered person should ensure that records and staff use language that is child- friendly and respectful. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.5

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: 2717656 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: United Homes Group Ltd

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 211 Station Road, Harrow HA1 2TP

p.6

Inspector

Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2717656 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7